


The Times That Weren’t Ours (And One Time That Was)

by Melanie_b



Series: These Times of Ours [3]
Category: Kabby fandom, The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Lots of Alternative Universes, Love, Romance, Smut, blame the space time continuum, sometimes shit happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-01-03 16:30:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 85,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21182513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melanie_b/pseuds/Melanie_b
Summary: Six different timelines, one happy ending.When Kane and Abby changed history by preventing the apocalypse, Fate stepped in to create a new timeline in which they were together. Along the way different timelines were created and discarded. In which timeline will Kane and Abby get their happy ending?





	1. Timeline 1

**Author's Note:**

> The timelines are different possible versions of Kane and Abby’s backstory in the new 2156 created when they change time. Therefore they are all set in the future, in the same time frame that canon takes place. 
> 
> These stories don’t involve time travel and Kane and Abby don’t travel between alternate timelines.
> 
> I promise that neither of them dies in any timeline, nor do they end up hating each other. These are stories of fate, of missed chances, of bad timing, and of how two people’s lives could impact each other’s in different ways in different realities.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake is away on Alpha Station, and Abby comes to a decision.

The double bed in the middle of the master bedroom was huge, the comforter a pale pastel blue that matched the curtains hanging at the full length window. Abby lay in the middle of it, staring up at the ceiling, her eyes dry but her heart heavy. In the bathroom, her four-year-old daughter was giving her dolls a bath in the bidet. Abby could see her through the open door, her blonde head bent over the doll, chattering quietly to herself as she gently washed its face with a sponge. 

“Keep still for mama,” Clarke was saying. “I’m not hurtin’ you. Be good girl.”

Usually Clarke’s sweet voice copying the phrases Abby used with her everyday was enough to bring a smile to her face but today she felt only emptiness. She was thankful Clarke was too young to understand or really notice any of the major changes which were going to take place in her life in the coming months. Not that her father was very present in her life anyway, Abby thought bitterly. In the four short years Clarke had been alive she’d spent less than fifteen months with Jake. 

And so today Abby had come to a decision, after the zillionth time that Jake had had to change his leave, postponing it for yet another month. Had to, or chose to? Abby wasn’t sure anymore. It wasn’t like his time at home was particularly happy anymore. The distance had taken its toll on their marriage, driven a rift between them that no amount of tears and pleadings could bridge. They were like strangers, she with her life on Earth with Clarke, working at the clinic, and he in space, on the US space station Alpha, as a junior engineer, slowly climbing the ranks. He came home for six weeks every three months, and that was getting rarer and rarer as a myriad of reasons cropped up as to why he wasn’t going to make it home  _ again  _ this weekend. 

It hadn’t been an easy decision. Abby was well aware of the irony of opting for divorce, condemning herself to a single life, because she spent too much time alone in her marriage. But she knew that if she was brave enough to do what needed to be done, she had a chance at finding happiness again someday. She was twenty-seven years old, she had her whole life to live. And so she had made an appointment with a lawyer, and she had just informed Jake that as of the following Monday she was beginning divorce proceedings against him. 

His silence on the video call had almost made her crumble, his face sagging with an air of defeat that seemed to start in his eyes and pull his whole face down towards his shoulders. 

“Is that really what you want?” he’d asked, and even across the four hundred and thirty-five vertical kilometres between them she could see his eyes glistening with tears. 

“Yes. I’m sorry,” she’d said. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Abby, no…” His voice cracked, and it nearly broke her. “I love you, we can sort this out. I’ll apply for extra leave, spend more time on the ground.”

“Jake, It’s too late for that.” Her tears were flowing now. “I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

“Abby, babe, it’s me, you know who I am. I love you, I love Clarke.” Panic rose in his voice. “I can’t lose you. Please, let’s talk about this when I’m home. We’ll work it out.”

“What’s Clarke’s favourite toy, Jake? What song does she sing over and over, in the car or in the stroller? What colour t-shirt does she absolutely refuse to wear under any circumstances?”

Jake was silent. He had no idea about the answers to any of these questions. The last time he’d seen Clarke had been four months before, which was a long time at Clarke’s tender age. 

“Clarke deserves a father. Not someone who comes to stay for a few weeks every so often, like a distant uncle.”

He stared at her for a few seconds and then his face twisted then into an ugly sneer. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You’ve met someone else, haven’t you?”

“No, I haven’t! I’d never do that. But I can’t live like this any longer! I’m so lonely Jake! I’m so lonely.” Her voice petered off into a silent sob and she sank her head into her hands. When she looked up again the screen had gone black, and he was gone, whether of his own volition or because the connection had been lost she had no way of knowing.

She’d cried for an hour and then her tears had slowly diminished, leaving her spent and hollow. The sun had set and dusk was settling in the room, and it was only when Clarke came to her, a dripping doll in her arms, that she roused herself off the bed to switch the light on. 

“Clarke, honey, the doll’s all wet. Shall we get a towel and dry her?” She padded to the bathroom, Clarke on her heels, and found a towel. She swaddled the doll and then handed her back to her daughter, who cradled her like a baby. “Go sit on the bed and cuddle her, okay? I need to clean up in here.”

Clarke had swamped the bathroom with water so Abby mopped the floor and wiped the bidet around. Afterwards she sat on the bed and wrapped Clarke in her arms, and when the tears started to flow again Clarke’s chubby little arms clung tightly around her neck.

“Don’t cry, mommy,” the four year old whispered, and Abby cried harder and buried her face in her daughter’s blonde hair, taking comfort in her soft skin and clean soapy scent. Finally she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Come on, let’s make pancakes for dinner.”

“Paaaaaaancaaaaaakes!!!!” yelled Clarke, jumping up and running to the door, and Abby laughed to see her excitement. In the kitchen Clarke stood on a chair, jiggling up and down happily, while Abby weighed the ingredients and put them into the kitchen robot. Clarke put her finger on the starter button. “I wanna press the button!” 

“Wait a moment, Clarke. I haven’t put the milk in yet. Okay, there you go. Press it now.”

Clarke pressed the button and squealed with delight as the blades began to turn and the ingredients amalgamated into a uniform paste, impossible to distinguish what had previously been flour and what had been egg and milk. Like a marriage, thought Abby sadly, when two people love each other so much something altogether new and exciting is created. Only her marriage was curdling, the chemical bonds breaking down and leaving something messy and tainted.

They cooked the pancakes and ate them in front of the tv, watching Clarke’s favourite film ever, Cinderella 8, where Cinderella and her stepsisters club together to rid the world of the glass slipper monster. The film was ridiculous but Clarke chuckled away next to her on the couch, her mouth sticky with maple syrup and strawberries, and Abby felt the ache in her heart easing a little. 

When the movie was over Abby put Clarke to bed, and after reading her three stories and staying with her until she fell asleep she settled on the couch, her phone in her hand, and pressed her best friend Callie’s number.

“Hi darling,” Callie’s sweet voice came down the line. “How are you doing?”

“Not good, actually,” said Abby, and the tears started to fall again. “I just told Jake I want a divorce.”

“Oh no.” Callie was silent for a minute. “I’m so sorry, Abby. Are you sure it’s the right thing to do?”

“I can’t go on like this, Cal. He was supposed to be home this weekend, but it’s been pushed back to next month. I - I just want more from life. It sucks being alone all the time, and being endlessly disappointed.”

“You’re not alone, you have Clarke, you have me. Jake loves you, Abby, anyone can see that.”

“Can they?” Abby asked hollowly. “Because I certainly don’t see it. He just accused me of having an affair.”

“He’s just hurting. People always say things they don’t mean when they’re hurting.” She paused. “Did he say why he can’t get home this weekend?”

“There was an emergency, and he volunteered. As usual.” She could hear the bitterness in her voice, and she hated herself for it, but she’d been playing second fiddle to her husband’s career for long enough now.

“He’s a good man, Abby, that’s why he volunteers. He hates leaving people in the lurch.”

“I know.” She didn’t need to add “but he leaves me in the lurch.” The words were unspoken between them but they were both thinking it.

“Abby, I’m so sorry. What will you do?”

“I’ve taken leave from work and I’m going to my mom’s in Connecticut for a bit. I don’t want to stay in this house. It has too many lonely memories. Then I’ll start looking for a new place. Jake will need to stay here when he does eventually come home.”

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do. You know I’m always here, even if it’s just to talk.”

“Thanks. I know.” Dear Callie, she was like a sister to her, and she knew she could count on her for anything.

When they had hung up, she cleared up the kitchen wearily, scraping the dried pancake batter off the work surface and loading the dishwasher. Then she had a shower and got ready for bed, choosing her favourite soft white satin pyjamas.  


Before she got into bed she popped into Clarke’s room, and sat on her daughter’s bed. Clarke was dead to the world, her favourite stuffed cat clutched in the knook of her arm, her blonde hair fanned on the pale pink pillow. Her chest rose and fell gently in the light of the antique Shrek nightlight on the nightstand, and the effect was calming. Overwhelmed with love, Abby stroked her hair gently, and touched her fingers to her rosy cheeks. She was grateful that Clarke was an easy, happy-go-lucky child. She’d adapt, and Abby drew strength from this. As long as she had her daughter, she could face anything, she thought to herself. She bent her head and kissed Clarke’s forehead. “We’re gonna be okay,” she whispered. “We’re gonna be okay.”


	2. Timeline 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new patient at the hospital causes Kane and Abby to cross paths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a separate timeline and the events are not connected to the events in chapter 1, although Abby and Jake are divorced.

Monday had started badly. She had woken up with a splitting headache that she tried to chase away with an extra espresso and three ibuprofen but which continued to throb incessantly. The traffic on the way to work was nightmarishly heavy, and to add to it there were three different sets of roadworks along the route, which Abby was convinced were there just to make her even later for work than the ten minutes she already was, since she could see no actual work being done at any of them. She closed her eyes as she waited at the third stop light, trying to ease the ache behind her eyes, and took deep breaths to stop her blood pressure shooting through the roof. A honking behind her jolted her back to reality, and she glanced in the rear view mirror to see the guy in the truck behind her gesticulating obscenely.

“Jerk,” she muttered as she pulled away with a small screech of tires, wondering how long she had been sitting at a green light with her eyes closed.

As she drove through the stop-start traffic her mind returned to the previous evening. Clarke had been in a particularly bad mood and had stormed around the house like a hormonal tornado. She sighed. Sixteen was a difficult age, she knew that, but being a single mom meant that she bore the brunt of Clarke’s mood swings alone. She loved her daughter more than anything in the world but she was glad for the weekends Clarke spent at her dad’s on Long Island in the months he was back from Alpha Station. This weekend was one such weekend and Abby was planning to sleep and read and go to the hairdressers and basically just recharge her batteries. She didn’t want to do anything or see anyone. 

She pulled into her personal space in the hospital parking lot just as the heavens opened with a crash of thunder. She searched in her car for her umbrella but  _ of course  _ it wasn’t there, because she had probably left it in her office the last time it had rained and had stopped by the time she had left work. Umbrellas were the kind of thing you thought about only when you needed them. Normally, she might have waited out the worst of the downpour but she was already so late that she had no choice but to make a run for it, and even though as a senior surgeon her parking space was one of the closest to the entrance she was still soaked to the bone when she entered the hospital foyer.

If truth be told, splitting headaches and stupid unnecessary roadworks were nothing out of the ordinary for her. What made this morning stand out from all the other bad mornings, what made this morning the peak of odious mornings, was running full force into the white-shirted chest of Detective Marcus Kane as she flew around the corner towards her office. Such was the force of the impact that she almost bounced off him and he grabbed her arm to steady her as she staggered backwards. 

“Would you mind,” she said, glaring up at him, “looking where you are going?”

“Morning, Abby,” he replied with his smooth smile that never seemed to reach his eyes and never ceased to irritate her beyond any logical explanation. He was clean shaven as usual, his short hair neatly slicked back, although one curl fell stubbornly onto his forehead, and she had left a wet mark on his suit jacket where she had collided with him. “And I think you were the one not looking where you were going.”

She bristled at the use of her first name but swallowed her irritation. “Detective Kane,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster with raindrops running down her nose. “What a pleasant surprise. Are you here to try to extract bodily fluids from my patients without their consent again?” 

Their paths had crossed several times in the past, the last time four or five weeks prior when Kane had needed a blood sample from a patient in a coma who had caused an RTA and was suspected of driving under the influence. He had turned up with a warrant but Abby didn’t give a damn about protocols and had refused to extract the blood sample until the patient’s next of kin could be found to give their consent. It had resulted in Kane threatening to have her arrested for obstruction of justice and she had literally only been saved by the arrival of the patient’s brother, who had signed the consent form immediately. 

He blinked at her in annoyance before his features relaxed into a complacent smirk again. “No bodily fluids this time, Abby. And I hope no arrests. Jackson will fill you in.”

“Then I should go and find Jackson,” said Abby, stepping around him with a cool smile. “Have a good day, detective.”

“I’ll be along later,” he said, as if they were old friends and he was stopping by for a gossip. “The patient is under police protection and I have two men outside the room.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” she called over her shoulder, rolling her eyes as she walked away. Great, this was all she needed, Detective smug-ass Kane on her case as well as a headache and soaking wet clothes. She didn’t see her day getting better anytime soon. 

“Oh, and Abby?”

She stopped in her tracks, taking a deep breath before turning back to him. 

“You might want to… as quickly as possible.” He gestured vaguely in the area of his chest as he spoke, and she looked down at her own chest in confusion, noting with horror that her blouse was completely see-through where it was wet with rain. She hurriedly crossed her arms in front of her chest, her cheeks burning, and he nodded, politely keeping his eyes on hers, before turning and walking down the corridor. 

Jesus. The day could not get any worse. 

In the privacy of her office she towelled off quickly, glaring at the umbrella sitting proudly in the umbrella stand in the corner, and was donning her white coat when Diana Sydney, one of the nurses on the surgical ward, popped her head in the door. 

“Morning, Abby. I thought I should warn you, Kane’s here.”

Abby smiled ruefully at her friend. “I know. I just barged into him and then showed him my bra.”

Diana’s jaw dropped. “You what?”

Abby opened her white coat to show her and Diana’s eyes grew wider as she took in Abby’s white lace bra clearly visible through her still damp blouse. 

“Good God, he’ll be fantasizing about that for weeks,” she chuckled, and Abby groaned, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

“Diana, please. Today is already going badly enough without you putting images like that in my head.” She finished drying her hair and dragged it back into a ponytail, before following her friend out of the door.

“Come on, you have to admit he’s hot,” said Diana as they stopped to let a patient being pushed on a gurney pass. 

“He may be hot, but he’s an asshole,” Abby muttered. “And the less I see of him the better. Ah Jackson.” She was glad to change the subject as they reached the nurses’ station where Eric Jackson, the ward clerk, was sitting behind a computer.

“He’s also single,” Diana murmured in her ear and Abby stared after her open-mouthed as she strode off down the corridor, heels clicking and ponytail swinging. 

She shook her head and turned to Jackson. “Okay, Jackson. Tell me everything about the new patient.”

Jackson obediently passed her a file, and she opened it as he told her.

“His name’s Vincent Vie,” he began. “Forty-two years old. Suspected mugging. He was brought in at two twenty-five am with multiple stab wounds to the abdomen. Luckily none of the major organs were ruptured and he didn’t lose too much blood due to the fact that an ambulance was on the scene within minutes.”

Abby raised her eyebrows. “A suspected mugging victim under police protection?”

Jackson held up his hands. “That’s what I was told. He’s still heavily sedated but Detective Kane has been waiting to talk to him for the last hour. I told him to come back this afternoon.”

“Yeah, I saw him. Is he the only detective in New York? Somebody up there must really hate me.” She picked up the patient files. “Okay, I’ll do the rounds. Anything else I need to know?”

……………………..

Luckily Kane stayed out of her way, or rather she was able to stay out of his way, for the rest of the morning. She forced herself to take a lunch break at one since she had surgery later that afternoon and couldn’t afford to be fainting on the patient, so she ate a quick salad in the canteen with Diana, who was curious to know what Kane was doing in the hospital again.

“The usual. A patient under police protection,” Abby explained. The salad looked as stressed as she felt, and she pushed it around plate half-heartedly. 

“The guy who was stabbed? I thought it was just a mugging?”

Abby shrugged. “He obviously has his reasons for being here. We don’t know everything the police know.” She speared a tomato, which was the only thing on the plate that appealed to her. “I could really do without the stress today though.”

“Problems with Clarke again?” 

“Aren’t there always?” She sighed. “You know, sometimes I wonder how my own body managed to produce a person that hates me so much.”

“She doesn’t hate you, Abby. It’s a difficult age. You just have to be patient.”

Abby grimaced. “Yeah, patience.” They ate in silence for a while, because they only had half an hour for lunch, and the time was precious for recharging mentally as well as physically. They were nearly finished when they were joined by Kara Cooper, one of the junior nurses.

“Hi Diana, Abby. Mind if I join you?” 

They both smiled in welcome although Abby would have preferred to be left in peace. Kara had become good friends with Diana but she rubbed Abby completely up the wrong way. Not that there was anything extraordinary about that. Most people rubbed her up the wrong way to some degree.

“I see Detective Kane is doing surveillance in your department,” Kara said. “He’s so attractive. Is he married, do you know?”

“No idea,” Abby lied. She had no intention of discussing Kane’s love life over lunch, but unfortunately Diana had no such qualms.

“Single. He’s one of those men who’s married to the job.” She nodded knowingly. 

“More likely because he has the personality of a potato,” muttered Abby, and the other two women laughed.

“Oh come on Abby. He can’t be that bad.” 

“I have no interest in finding out,” Abby retorted, standing up and picking up her tray. “Maybe you should ask him out. You’d make a great couple.” She smiled sweetly at Kara before the other woman could grasp her non-compliment and went to stack her tray before heading back to work.

Unfortunately the cause of all the gushing in the canteen was waiting for her when she got there, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He had an impatient, superior look about him, like he had so many places to be and criminals to chase, and didn’t have time to wait for people to do common human activities like eating. She found it almost comical. He really was the epitome of an NYPD detective, and she half expected him to whip out his handcuffs and read her her rights just for going on a lunch break. Maybe she should have brought him a box of donuts.

“I really need to talk to Mr Vie,” he said at once when he saw her approaching. 

“Go ahead. He's still heavily sedated, so you won’t get many answers out of him.” 

He tutted. “Can you tell me when you will be stopping the sedative?”

“No,” she answered coldly. “It depends on his stats and also, there is such a thing as patient confidentiality, detective. I can only disclose information about Mr Vie’s condition to family members.”

“Or the police if they have a warrant.”

“Or the police if they have a warrant.”

“I have a warrant.”

She took a deep breath. Of course he did. “That doesn’t change the fact that Mr Vie is under sedation for the foreseeable future. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

“Abby - “

“It’s Dr Griffin,” she snapped, and he held up his hands apologetically. 

“Dr Griffin. Please could you let me know when it’s possible to speak with Mr Vie. It’s of utmost importance.”

There was something in his eyes, something almost akin to regret that made her feel bad for snapping at him. She might find him obnoxious but he was never outright rude to her and she had overstepped the mark by answering him in that way. She didn’t generally consider herself the kind of person who lashed out at people, and it certainly wasn’t his fault she was having a bad day. She nodded, a reluctant apology in her smile. 

“Of course. I’ll keep you informed.”

…………………….

She was in surgery all afternoon, a planned appendectomy in a teenager which was dangerously closer to the onset of peritonitis than they had thought, and by the time she got out of the operating room the sun was going down. Her heart lifted a little when she saw that it had stopped raining at least. The pounding in her head had subsided, as it often did when she was in surgery and she was focused on saving someone’s life and not on her own physical discomfort. 

She sent Clarke a text, extending the metaphorical olive branch and asking her if she wanted to watch a movie that evening, maybe with pizza. Clarke responded with a line of happy emojis that made Abby smile. She hoped Clarke’s good mood would last until she got home. She couldn’t face another evening of tears and slammed doors. 

She passed by Vincent Vie’s room to check on him one more time before doing hand-over and was surprised to find Kane still sitting outside, a five o’clock shadow on his cheeks and his tie loosened. She paused in front of him before she entered the room, eyeing him quizzically. 

“Hasn’t the police department got more important fish to fry?” she asked with a small frown.

A muscle flicked in his cheek. “Mr Vie was seriously injured in an aggression. It’s normal procedure to have police surveillance.”

“No, it isn’t,” she replied. “And especially not their top detective.” She’d meant it ironically and it amused her to see the pleased look that fluttered briefly across his face. He studied her for a long moment, as if weighing something up in his mind, and when he apparently came to a decision he stood and took her by the elbow, steering her into the room. 

“Hey,” she muttered as he closed the door behind them. “What - ?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to molest you, Dr Griffin.” 

“Thank God for that,” she returned drily. “I don’t think I could -“

He huffed in frustration. “Will you stop talking for just a moment? I need to talk to you about a serious matter.”

His eyes were dark and conflicted and she felt a shiver down her spine. She closed her mouth obediently, waiting for him to speak. He swallowed and she watched in fascination as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He was standing close enough for her to smell his aftershave which was both fresh and subtly spicy. 

“We have reason to believe that the attack on Mr Vie was more than a random mugging.”

“More?” she asked. “You mean it was intentional?”

“I believe somebody wants him dead. Somebody powerful. I have my suspicions, but no proof. I can’t say any more than that.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And why are you telling me this?” 

He hesitated. “I need you to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.”

“Here in the hospital?” Her stomach lurched at the thought that the vulnerable people in her care could be in danger. 

“Yes. Or outside. Just stay alert. And if you see anything, call me.” He felt inside his jacket and took out a card. “Here are my numbers. You can call me any time of the day or night. Okay?”

“Okay.” Her hand shook a little as she took the card, which had two phone numbers and an email address on it.

“Just keep your eyes open. Please, Abby.” 

His earnestness surprised her, so much so that this time she didn’t object to the use of her name. “Okay. I will. Thank you.” She raised her eyes to his face and for a second she was startled by the intensity she saw in his eyes, but then just like that it was gone, his face closed and serious, and he turned to open the door. He gave her a last nod and she stared at his retreating back, his card still in her hand. 

  
  



	3. Timeline 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kane decides to try his luck at love with a dating app.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again this is a new timeline, not connected to the events of chapters 1 and 2. We’ll be coming back to those stories soon though!

Marcus Kane was in love.

He’d been sceptical in the beginning about using a dating app. He’d thought they were for losers, people who couldn’t get dates on their own. People who sat at home every Friday and Saturday evening watching sci-fi movies or documentaries alone. It had been Sinclair, his trusty friend and colleague, who had pointed out to him that that was exactly what he did, and precisely why he should set up a Tinder account immediately.

He’d been slightly affronted at first. He’d never had a problem meeting women in the past, and he’d had several semi-serious relationships, but when Sinclair asked him when the last time he’d got laid had been, and Marcus had had to search through the previous year’s diary to find the date of his last, well, date, he swallowed his pride and downloaded Tunder. Or whatever it was called.

First he had to set up an account, so he used his email address and created a password (which may or may not have been BigBoyKane100) and then uploaded his profile picture. He debated over the photo for a good half an hour, umming and ahhhing between a serious pic where he was clean shaven and staring intensely into the distance or a cuter (if he did say so himself) smiling pic where his eyes were twinkling and he had a bit of stubble. What did women want? Smooth and sultry or smirking stubble? Who knew. In the end he went with the stubble. From what he’d heard, most women liked men with a sense of humour. He could always change it if he didn’t get any likes.

Next he had to create his profile. What to write? He considered himself a fairly open book. He was a cop, who lived in New York, and liked watching sci-fi movies or documentaries on Friday and Saturday evenings. He had a feeling he should maybe add something, though. Something to make himself a bit more interesting. He scratched his head and pushed his glasses up his nose. Maybe something romantic. Umm.

“Hi, I’m Marcus, and I like sci-fi movies and documentaries. If you match with me we’ll touch the stars.” 

No no no. Delete that. 

“I’m Marcus, and I’m a simple guy. I like sci-fi movies and documentaries -” 

He tutted. Maybe he should get away from the sci-fi movies and documentaries. He pressed delete and started again.

“I’m Marcus. I’m a police officer for NYPD. My dream is to make the world a better place, and connect with people from all walks of life. In the meantime, I’ll cook you dinner if you’ll watch sci-fi movies with me.”

Ha. Perfect. Deep and meaningful but cute. He clicked save and then viewed his profile. 

He found her profile when he’d been browsing for an hour or so, and it was like being hit by a bolt of lightning. He was looking at the face of an angel. Two big brown eyes smiled up at him from from a face framed with soft brown hair. Her perfect creamy white skin was smooth with just the right amount of laughter lines around her eyes and on her well-defined cheekbones. Her smile was wide and infectious and he felt himself instinctively smiling back at her photo. She had an air of confidence but with a tiny hint of self-consciousness which he found adorably sexy. He clicked on her profile, anxious to read about this goddess.

“Hi, I’m Abby -”

He loved her name too. It was perfect for her.

“And I’m a surgeon -”

Wow? A surgeon?

“I’m looking for friendship first and foremost.”

Oh. 

“- but I’m open to romance too.”

He could feel his eyes literally turning heartshaped.

“I love eating out, movies -”

That was promising at least.

“And travelling.”

He could travel. Dammit he’d travel to the ends of the earth for this woman.

“Oh and I’m a sucker for sci-fi movies.”

Oh God. She was PERFECT. His hands were trembling and his heart was racing as he stared at her photo, trying to pluck up the courage to swipe, but terrified that if she didn’t swipe back he’d never be over it. He put the phone down and wiped his hands on his thighs. One swipe, that’s all it would take, and hopefully his profile pic wouldn’t make her want to scratch her eyeballs out and she’d swipe him too. He could be talking to her within minutes.

A wave of self-loathing washed over him, bringing him back down to earth with a thud. Don’t be so ridiculous, he told himself. A woman like her would never look at someone like him. She was way out of his league. She was beautiful, sophisticated, intelligent. He was just a lousy cop with a superiority complex and an overly-dramatic haircut. He closed Tindle, wondering what the hell he’d been thinking.

He sat on the couch for a long time, his elbows on his knees and his hands covering his face. Goddammit. Damn Sinclair and his bright ideas. He tried to put her out of his mind but her face kept flashing before his eyes. She was mesmerising, her eyes had seemed to be luring him to her. He couldn’t help it, he was in love with her already, and he was going to swipe even if it meant making a fool of himself. He picked up the phone, and opened Tiddle. Taking a deep breath, he clicked on her name and suddenly his screen was filled with his mom’s face.

He dropped the phone in shock. What the hell was happening? Was this some weird Oedipo nightmare where the woman of his dreams was in fact his mom? He rubbed his eyes in confusion, then opened them cautiously. His mom’s face was still on the screen, and he realised it was just an incoming call. His mom was calling him.

With a sigh of relief he picked up the phone and answered. “Hi mom.”

“Surprise! Are you gonna let your old mom in or not?”

“You’re here?”

“I’m right outside. I bought you pizza and socks.”

“Socks?”

“They were on special offer. Six pairs for the price of three.”

He shook his head. “Hang on, I’ll buzz you up.”

He spent the rest of the evening watching a documentary and eating pizza with his mom, although the beautiful Abby was never far from his thoughts, making his stomach flip and his pulse quicken every time he remembered her dazzling smile. There was a lightness in his manner that even Vera picked up on, eyeing him curiously when he laughed too loudly and talked too quickly.

“You seem unusually happy, son,” she said with a smile. “Have you met someone?”

“Well.” Marcus didn’t know what to say. It was kind of true. Granted, she didn’t know he existed yet, but you never knew what was going to happen when you first met someone anyway. He smiled shyly. “Kind of.”

Vera flung her arm around him. “I’m happy for you. When can I meet her?”

He spluttered. “I - um - I’m not sure how she feels yet. But if things go well, you’ll be the first to know, I promise.”

“Where did you meet her?”

“Oh, um. Through a friend,” he said vaguely. “But she’s amazing, mom. I don’t know if she’ll be interested in someone like me.”

“Of course she will,” said Vera briskly. “You’re a good man, Marcus. You’re kind and smart and handsome. Any woman would consider herself lucky to have you.”

“You’re making me blush, but thank you,” He appreciated his mom’s words even though he knew all moms thought that way about their sons. 

He watched the clock impatiently for the rest of the evening, not wanting to seem rude but anxious to get back on Tonder to swipe Abby’s profile. He had hardly even concentrated on the documentary they’d watched, his mind already wandering to evenings spent with Abby, laughing and talking over good food and a glass of wine, before going to bed to make slow, sensual love. Oh  _ God.  _ He couldn’t think about that now, the last thing he needed was an erection with his mom sitting next to him on the sofa. 

At eleven he called his mom a cab and when she was safely on her way home he sat on the couch and picked up his phone, adrenaline coursing through him. He had the feeling he was about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, and he had never been more ready for it.

  
  
  
  



	4. Timeline 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby meets a handsome stranger at a college party

It’s the worst party she’s ever been to.

She doesn’t know what she was thinking, coming along on spring break with her college senior cousin. College spring breaks are the kind of thing you’re too old for the day after you graduate from college, which Abby did last spring. She’s felt out of place since she got here and even more so at this party, which seems to have turned into a massive junior high nostalgia fest. 

All around her couples are making out, while in the corner there is a ridiculous drinking game going on which involves trying to count backwards from a million and taking a drink every time you get one wrong, which given the inebriated state of the participants, is  _ every  _ time, with the result that the game is deteriorating and people are just drinking directly without even trying to calculate nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven minus one. 

To make things worse, she’s lost a contact lens, so she’s had to wear her glasses to the party, which serves only to make her look more like a college professor than a student. She wonders how much longer she’ll have to stay here but her cousin has disappeared with some guy and Abby doesn’t have the keys to their apartment. She gets up from her seat on the couch and steps over a couple nearly having sex on the floor, heading towards the kitchen in search of beer. Maybe if she gets drunk she’ll enjoy the party more. She’s just not getting  _ into  _ things here. 

The kitchen is a mess of empty beer bottles and chip packets. She finds a beer and looks around for a bottle opener. 

“Here.” A voice from the corner startles her, and she looks up to see a hand offering her a bottle opener shaped like an erect penis. “Sorry about the, erm, shape.”

She giggles as she takes it. This is the funniest thing that’s happened to her all night, which says a lot about how much fun the party is. She opens the beer and takes a long swig, then passes the bottle opener back to the hand. 

“Here, have your penis back. You may need it.”

He grins at her and she notes that he’s actually quite cute and, if she’s not mistaken,  _ definitely  _ not a college student. 

“It’s okay. I have a spare one in my pocket.”

She bursts out laughing and he shakes his head in dismay. “I’m sorry, that was terrible.”

“It really was.” She pulls out a chair and sits down opposite him. “You don’t look like a college student.”

“I don’t?” He raises an eyebrow. “And there was me thinking I was blending in perfectly.” 

She giggles again and he smiles. “This is my house. My cousin is in college and she wanted to throw a party.”

“Oh. It’s a nice house.” She looks around her as if to show she’s admiring his house. “Wish I could say the same about the party.”

“Not enjoying it, huh?” 

“Not really. I came with my cousin but I think you forget how to make out on the floor with complete strangers the day you graduate from college.”

“Ugh. Yeah.” He pulls a face but his eyes are smiling, and she likes the way he’s looking at her, appreciatively but not leeringly. She’s had enough of being leered at this week. 

“I’m Abby, by the way.”

“Marcus.” He holds out his hand and she shakes it, feeling slightly silly at their formality when there are people drunk and kissing all around them. She takes a swig of her beer and studies him curiously, trying not to let her eyes linger on the way his black shirt pulls across his chest or the way his hair is thick and wavy and curls into his collar. She’s distracted from her appraisal of him by a guy with a shaved head bursting into the kitchen and vomiting in the sink before staggering back out again. 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Marcus gets up with a roll of his eyes and turns on the faucet full blast, trying to wash the vomit down the sink. When he’s done he turns to Abby. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Definitely.” She’s trying not to vomit herself and he takes her hand and leads her out of the room, grabbing two bottles of beer on the way. 

She clings to his hand as they make their way through the mass of bodies in the living room and towards the stairs. She follows him up two flights until he opens a door, standing back to let her go first, and she steps out onto a rooftop terrace under the stars.

“Oh!” She gazes around her in delight. There’s some wicker furniture with soft cushions surrounding a low table and, off to the left, a swing seat facing out over the ocean. To the right she can see the sparkling lights of the city in the distance. “This is beautiful.”

“Thanks. I like it too.” He takes a seat on the swing and she sits at the other end of it, kicking her shoes off and curling her legs up underneath her. The air is warm and salty, the light breeze refreshingly cleansing after the sweaty beer-laden stench of the party. She can hear the music but it’s reduced to just a background thump thump thump which is actually quite soothing. 

They swing gently for a moment, and a silence settles between them which isn’t uncomfortable but she feels the need to fill it anyway.

“So what do you do?” she asks just as he says “So where are you from?”

They both laugh and then he says “You first.”

She smiles shyly. “Do you want me to ask or answer?” 

“Answer.” 

“Okay. I’m from New York but I’m living in DC at the moment. I’m doing a year’s residency at the hospital.”

“You’re a doctor?” His tone is full of admiration. “I knew you weren’t just a pretty face.”

She smirks at him. “Oh, you’re smooth with the one liners, aren’t you?”

He has the good grace to blush at least. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually…” He trails off and his eyes meet hers, warm and dark and twinkling, and a butterfly flutters in her belly. 

“So what do you do?”

“I’m a lawyer.” 

“Wow! And there was me thinking you were just a pretty face.”

He laughs. “Touché. I deserved that.”

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, watching him shrewdly. “A lawyer? What kind of lawyer?”

“Political law, mostly. My ambition is to be a government advisor, but  I’m taking a break. I’ve applied to work on Alpha Station as a researcher.”

“On Alpha? My ex-boyfriend is up there. What are you researching?”

“Oh, nothing interesting. Law making procedures. What does your ex do?”

“He’s an engineer. We split up because he got a job up there.” She looks away, out towards the ocean, preferring not to elaborate. 

He doesn’t probe any further. “He must be crazy. If you were my girlfriend, there’s no way I’d go and work in space.”

She blushes. “So how long will you be up there?”

“I haven’t been accepted yet, but it’s a six month assignment. Luckily I don’t have a girlfriend down here.” He makes a mock sad face and she smiles and wonders how that’s possible. He’s  _ gorgeous,  _ and sweet, and rich if the fact that he’s a lawyer and he owns this beautiful house are anything to go by. It’s a  _ crime  _ he’s single. It might be a bit forward to say that, though, so she settles for “That’s lucky.”

He doesn’t answer, just nods in agreement. The music changes from a thud thud thud to something slower and more romantic, and the effect isn’t lost on her.

“You didn’t consider going with your ex? To Alpha?”

“Are you kidding? Spend my life stuck in a tin can in space? No thank you.”

“Right.There’s not much to do up there, although there’s a cinema now I think.”

“So I heard. But I love the fresh air, and nature. And the ocean.” 

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t go,” he says softly.

She looks at him in surprise,  but before she can say anything he says “Do you want to dance?”

“Here?”

“No, I thought the bathroom might be a good place.”

She giggles and he stands and pulls her to her feet, and then his arms slip around her waist and he pulls her close to him. Her pulse quickens at his proximity, his hands warm and gentle on her skin. She places her hands on his chest, and they sway gently to the music. 

“So do you often bring women up here to dance under the stars?” she asks, and his shy smile melts her heart. He’s so intense but so soft, and the combination is addictive. 

“Never, actually.” 

“Oh. Should I take that as a compliment?”

“Yes.” His eyes scan her face, but he just smiles and holds her closer, so that she can feel his breath on her ear. He smells sexy as hell and she feels her knees growing weak. She certainly never thought she’d end up in the arms of the hottest guy at the party. The evening has definitely improved. 

“So how long are you staying here?” 

“Just till Monday.”

“Oh.” Disappointment hangs in the word, and his hands still on her back. “That’s not long…” 

“It isn’t,” she agrees breathlessly. His mouth is centimetres from hers now and she could close the distance in an instant. “We’d better make the most of the time we have, then.”

“Yes...” 

“I have to work on Tuesday, otherwise I’d -“

“Abby.”

“Yes?”

“Stop talking.”

“Okay.” 

His lips are soft and sweet and almost hesitant at first, and a thrill shoots through her straight to her core. She wraps her arms around his neck to pull him closer, her lips yielding and she moans gently as their tongues meet in a wonderfully erotic dance that makes desire pool between her thighs. 

They kiss and kiss, his hands crushing her against him, and hers in his hair, tangling in the silky waves. Every so often they pull apart, temporarily needing oxygen more than they need each other, but then with a small smile they dive back in for more, and she thinks that this is the most romantic thing in the world, kissing this gorgeous man under the stars with the sound of the ocean and soft music in the background. 

His fingers trace a pattern down her sides, brushing against her breasts and making her breath hitch in her throat, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by him because the next time he moves his thumbs to caress her nipples and she moans gently into the kiss. 

“Is this okay?” he mutters against her mouth and she wants to laugh, it’s more than okay, it’s amazing.

“It’s perfect,” she breathes and he’s smiles against her mouth before capturing her lips again.

He must like it too because she can feel his arousal against her hip. His fingers slip under the hem of her dress to caress her bare skin, deliciously close to where she’s aching for him, and she grinds against him, seeking relief until he brings one hand between them, brushing lightly at her sex and sending shock waves of pleasure through her. 

“Tell me if you want me to stop,” he murmurs in her ear and she shakes her head mutely, she’s almost dizzy with desire and then gasps and collapses against him as his fingers slip inside her underwear.

“Oh! You’re so wet.” His voice is low and filled with awe and she just nods breathlessly, his fingers swirling between her folds leaving her weak and shaky and incapable of coherent speech. She presses open-mouthed kisses against his throat, hanging on tightly around his neck as she feels herself rising, cresting the wave of her orgasm for what seems like forever before it crashes over her and she comes, shuddering and gasping, against his hand. 

He holds her up as she goes limp in his arms and she rests her head on his shoulder, trying to get her breath back.

“God, that was hot,” he whispers and she agrees wholeheartedly. She’s still weak from her orgasm though so she just says “I think I need to lie down.”

He chuckles and leads her to the wicker sofa which is big enough for him to lie on, and he lies down and pulls her down on top of him. She smiles mischievously to herself. So  _ this  _ is how he likes it. 

They lie for a moment, her head on his chest, and she can feel his heart thudding beneath the black cotton of his shirt. She’s craving the feel of his skin so she pops open a button of his shirt with one hand and slips her hand underneath the material, her fingers running through the soft downy hair and over the taut lines of his muscles and flicking briefly at his nipples, making him groan with pleasure. She opens the rest of his buttons and places small kisses on his chest.

“You’re so beautiful.” She wants to touch him everywhere, to discover all of him, so her hands move to the bulge in his jeans and she runs her fingernails along his length, loving the way his eyes flutter closed. He’s hard as a rock and she wants him  _ now  _ so she undoes his belt and jeans and frees his cock from his boxers. 

It’s perfect, thick and long but not too big. The hiss of pleasure that escapes him as she caresses him with feather light fingers is nearly enough to make her come again. She bends her head to kiss the dark purple head and it jumps in her hand, making her smile. Reaching up, she kisses him teasingly, her tongue darting playfully between his lips before she kisses her way back down his body to take his cock in her mouth. 

“Oh God.” His head tips back and his mouth falls open as she gently sucks and licks the head, running her tongue under the rim and dipping into the slit before taking him into her mouth. She sucks gently, her tongue swirling over the head as her hand moves up and down the shaft and his moans become more and more frantic until he stops her, panting, with a hand on her head.

“Abby. If you... I’m going to come.”

“It’s okay,” she whispers between licks and kisses to the tip. “We have all night.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. Now shut up and enjoy it.”

He grins at her bossiness and then lays his head back, abandoning himself to her skillful mouth and tongue, and a minute later he’s coming in a series of panting groans, warm salty spurts filling her mouth, and she drinks him down as his orgasm pulses through him.

Afterwards he pulls her next to him, tucking her under the crook of his arm, and wraps his arms around her tightly. “God, that was amazing. You’re amazing.” He kisses her softly. “What did I do to deserve this?”

She giggles. “It was just a blow job.”

“A blow job from the sexiest woman on earth.” He smiles up at the sky and his happiness warms her heart. He’s really adorable. “Did you mean what you said, about having all night? Can you stay?”

“I can stay all weekend if you’re free,” she says, smiling too, and his face lights up. 

“I have no plans at all.” He hugs her even more tightly to him, and they drift off peacefully under the stars. 

  
  



	5. Timeline 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callie is playing Cupid, but will Kane and Abby cooperate?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new timeline, and Jake and Abby are already divorced although the events are not connected to the events of the previous timelines. Basically Jake and Abby get divorced in a lot of timelines!

“No.”

“Abby - “

“I said no! I’m not interested.”

“You’re not even prepared to discuss it.”

“Nope.”

“Ugh, you’re so stubborn.” Callie plonked herself down opposite Abby and folded her arms. She eyed her friend slyly. “He’s hot.”

“Callie! I’m not interested in going on a date with some brawny cop with a brain the size of a grape.”

They were in Abby’s kitchen, and Abby had just poured them both enormous glasses of wine and laid out some snacks on the table. Ten year old Clarke and Callie’s nine year old son Josh were upstairs watching a movie in Clarke’s room and Abby and Callie were taking advantage of the peace to have a much deserved glass of wine and a good catch up. 

At least, that’s what it was supposed to be, until Callie had started harassing her about going on a date with her colleague. 

“First, he doesn’t have a brain the size of a grape. And second, who cares? Just have fun. He’s incredibly sexy and sweet. He’d treat you well. And from what I’ve heard he’s great in bed.”

“Ugh. That’s the last thing on my mind.” Abby cracked open some peanuts and popped them in her mouth, then got up to get a bowl to put the shells in. 

“Good sex is the last thing on your mind?” Callie’s eyes were round with disbelief. “Who the heck doesn’t like a good orgasm or three?”

Abby raised an eyebrow. “I don’t need a man for that.”

“Yes, but come  _ on.  _ Your vibrator can’t compare to a good f-“ she stopped short, horrified, as she caught sight of her son at the kitchen door. He came in and headed straight for the bowl of chips on the table. 

“Can we have some more popcorn? We finished the first lot already.”

“There’s pizza in the oven,” said Abby, since Callie seemed to have lost her tongue. 

“Yeah, pizza!” The boy’s face lit up and Abby laughed. 

“I’ll bring it up in a moment. Why don’t you run back upstairs? You don’t want to miss the movie.” She ruffled his hair. Josh was like a son to her, which he almost was, given that he was Clarke’s step-brother and the son of the woman who was like a sister to her. Callie and Jake had been married for three years now and Josh was Callie’s son from her first marriage. 

“I made Clarke pause it,” he replied, shovelling another handful of chips into his mouth. “What’s a vibrator?”

Callie choked and spat her wine across the table. Abby stopped in her tracks, biting her lip as she looked from Josh, who was chewing his chips with wide-eyed innocence, to Callie, who was bright red and and looking like she’d swallowed a watermelon whole.

“It’s, uh, it’s -“ Callie stuttered, looking to Abby in panic. 

“It’s a bit like Buzz Lightyear,” said Abby. “But for grown-ups. Except it doesn’t light up or make anywhere near as many sounds.”

“Oh. Sounds boring.”

“Oh, it is,” said Abby solemnly, while Callie tried to stifle her laughter. “Now off you go and I’ll bring the pizza.”

Josh slithered off the chair and padded out of the room and the two women burst into giggles.

“ _ Buzz fucking Lightyear?”  _ gasped Callie, as tears streamed down her face. “Now I know what floats your boat!”

Abby wiped her eyes and glared at her. “What was I supposed to say? It’s a woman’s best friend? He’s  _ nine!” _ They laughed again and then Abby remembered the pizza, jumping up and dragging it out of the oven with her bright orange oven gloves. She cut it into slices and took it up to the kids, who fell on it hungrily. 

When she got back down to the kitchen Callie had poured them some more wine and was waiting with a knowing look on her face. 

“So, Buzz Lightyear huh? No wonder normal men don’t stand a chance.”

“Callie!” Abby sat down and put her head in her hands. “You’re not gonna let this go are you?”

“That you fantasise about Buzz Lightyear - ?”

“About me going out with this cop.”

“Oh, that. Shall I set you up on a date then?”

“No.”

They drank their wine in silence for a minute and then Abby spoke softly. 

“I just don’t know if there’s room in my life right now, Callie. I’m so busy with work, and Clarke, and I barely hold it together most days as it is. I don’t know if I can face all the games you play when you meet someone. Should I call him? Will he call me? Does he like me? It’s exhausting, you know?”

Callie reached for her hand. “I know, honey. But it’s just for a short time, then things settle down, and you know where you stand, or things don’t work out and you go your separate ways.”

Abby stared into her glass, swirling the wine around gently. 

“I just want you to be happy,” Callie whispered. 

“I know. But you don’t have to feel guilty, you know. That you and Jake are happy. I’m truly happy for you both.”

“I know you are. And that makes you a truly special person. Not many people would be able to do that.” Callie’s eyes were glistening with tears. “And that’s why I want you to be happy too. Please, just give him a chance.”

Abby sighed. “Callie…”

“Just one date. Just to meet him.”

“Does he want to meet me?”

“Of course he does. He keeps asking.”

“Really?” Abby felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. 

“Well, he keeps asking if I have any single friends.”

“That is  _ not  _ the same thing.” She paused. “Okay, show me his photo. Then I’ll decide.”

“Yess!” Callie punched the air triumphantly. She picked up her phone and swiped through the photos. “Here he is.”

Abby took the phone from Callie curiously, and her stomach did a little flip as she looked into the smiling, bearded face of Marcus Kane. His eyes were dark brown and twinkling and his black beard was speckled with grey. His hair was dark and wavy with a little curl on his forehead. Callie was right, he was hot. Scrap that, he was  _ gorgeous.  _ And not remotely like she’d imagined.

“What do you think?”

“I, um. Yeah. God.” She grinned. “Wow.”

Callie burst into laughter. “I’ll take that as a yes then, shall I?”

Abby looked up at her friend in panic. “No!”

“Why on earth not? You nearly came just looking at his photo!” 

“Callie, oh God. No. I can’t do this.” She felt tears welling up and she took a deep breath. “What if I fall for him and he doesn’t feel the same?”

“Hey.” Callie was out of her chair in a shot and scooting around the table to take Abby in her arms. “He’s gonna love you. Who wouldn’t? You’re beautiful and sweet and intelligent. He’s not going to know what’s hit him.”

“You’re too sweet,” said Abby with a sniffly smile. “But a man like that is way out of my league. He looks like a film star or something.”

“Abby, you’ll be great together. I just know it. Please, sweetheart.”

Abby pursed her lips and looked at her friend for a long time. She  _ was  _ interested in this guy, but could she really risk getting her heart broken again? “Okay, okay. One date. And we’ll see how it goes.”

Callie gave a whoop. “You won’t regret it.”


	6. Timeline 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke is playing her first soccer match at her new school, and one of the soccer dads is a bit too hot for Abby’s comfort.

It’s a cold day, and Abby pushes her hands deeper into her pockets and buries her face into her scarf. The weak October sun is barely filtering through the mist hanging over the football pitch and she wishes she’d worn her warmer boots; her feet are freezing in her lightweight trainers. She’ll know next time. 

This is Clarke’s first soccer match of the season, so she’d better get used to it, because it’s only going to get colder from here on in. She jiggles up and down a bit but then feels silly so she decides not to do that anymore. 

Glancing around, she notices there’s a cafe where she can get a hot drink. She needs to pee too, so she makes her way over to the building. The match isn’t due to start for another ten minutes, so there’s plenty of time. 

The cafe is full of parents who have all clearly had the same idea. She heads for the restroom, then makes her way to the counter to order her coffee. The donuts look appealing and she figures she’ll probably burn it off jumping up and down on the sidelines for the next hour. 

She looks around at the other parents while she’s waiting. She hasn’t had the chance to get to know any of them yet, since they only moved to this area a month ago, and this is Clarke’s first match with this team. Her stomach clenches a little with nerves. Clarke was the star player at her old school, but this is a strong team and it might not be as easy to make her mark. 

The other parents all seem to know each other, which is normal. They are talking fast as they nurse their coffees, seemingly warm and friendly, but Abby knows from past experience that parents of teenagers will turn on each other as fast as their kids do, their smiling faces masking the vicious rivalry between them. She sighs into her coffee at the thought of having to make friends with these people. Well she won’t bother just yet, she’ll wait and see who Clarke is friends with to decide which parents she’s going to have to get along with for the next three years. 

A glance at her watch tells her the match is about to start so she picks up her coffee and heads towards the door. She leans against it to push it open with her shoulder when it opens from the other side and she lurches forward into a void, and would have fallen if it weren’t for a strong hand that reaches out and catches her. When she regains her balance she looks up at the person who opened it and finds herself looking into a pair of soft brown eyes that take her breath away. 

“Oh! Sorry!” she mumbles, flustered. She doesn’t even know what she’s apologising for, it was him who almost made her fall after all. Not that it was his fault either. He couldn’t have known. She’s babbling mentally now and he’s looking at her with an amused frown on his face. “I mean thank you. God. Sorry.”

“You’re welcome,” he says with an outrageously sexy smile, and her stomach does a little flip. Oh God, he’s  _ gorgeous.  _ She smiles back, unable to break his gaze, and tries desperately to think of something to say. Nothing comes to mind, and he moves closer. 

“Can I?” 

She blinks, and realises he’s gesturing towards the open door, which she is still blocking.  _ Of course.  _ He just wants to get into the cafe. That’s probably why he opened the door in the first place. “Oh um, yes. Sorry.” She cringes to herself and moves out of the way, and he moves past her into the cafe without another glance at her, leaving her flummoxed and burning with embarrassment. 

Oh no. This is awkward. 

He’s clearly the father of one of the girls on the team, and fathers are generally married to mothers who don’t tend to like attractive divorcees talking to their husbands. It’s something that Abby has had to accept over the years. What would be considered normal friendly behaviour from a married woman suddenly becomes flirting, a threat to their marriages, from a divorced woman, and the claws come out to keep their husbands away from THAT woman, who clearly couldn’t hold her own marriage together and is now hellbent on wrecking other people’s marriages too. 

And that’s without having an  _ actual  _ crush. Which is what she is likely to develop on the guy she just fell out of the coffee shop into, if her racing pulse and flaming cheeks are anything to go by. She hopes his daughter isn’t going to be Clarke’s friend. She needs to stay as far away as possible from him if she wants any chance of being accepted by the other parents. Women understand women, and the signs of a crush are clearly visible to all.

Except to men, of course. Men never get it and that’s the problem. 

The match begins and Abby concentrates on watching Clarke, trying to put him out of her mind. Clarke’s playing well, and is certainly one of the strongest in the team, although she’s not quite as fast as a girl with a long dark ponytail. Clarke plays mid-field and the attack is strong but the defence is weak and the team concedes their first goal within minutes. 

In the end they draw two all, which is mostly due to Clarke and the other dark haired mid-fielder going continually on the attack to keep the ball away from the defence. The goalkeeper needs to go, she spent most of the match checking her nail polish.

As she’s waiting for Clarke to come out of the changing rooms, a group of parents gathers, talking about the match. Abby takes her phone out of her pocket and pretends to scroll through it while she listens to their conversation, trying to glean some kind of an inkling about the kind of people she’s going to be dealing with. 

“The new girl is good,” says one mom. “What’s her name? Carol?” 

“She’s not bad,” says another. “But she’s not as fast as Octavia. Good ball control though.”

“Oh, Octavia’s the star of the team,” gushes another. “Always will be. Marcus! Octavia played amazingly today! You must be so proud. She pretty much carried the match.”

Abby looks up in time to see the attractive man from the cafe approaching the group, a charming smile on his face, and she rolls her eyes inwardly at the way the moms immediately start batting their eyelashes in a way only married women can get away with. If Abby did that she’d immediately be labelled a home-wrecker. 

“Oh I think Clarke Griffin did that too,” says Marcus, and Abby’s heart skips a beat that he knows her daughter’s name, and is giving her credit for the match. 

“Clarke? Isn’t that a boys’ name?” asks the first mom. “I thought this was the girls’ under 13s!” The other moms give little half-amused giggles and Abby scowls at her phone screen. 

“Ehm, I think that’s her mom right there,” says Marcus. “We should introduce ourselves.”

Oh God no. Please. She just wants to remain invisible. She doesn’t want to have to talk to Marcus in front of these witches. In desperation she presses her work phone number and puts her phone to her ear, smiling apologetically at the group as she moves away to accept her imaginary phone call. As she’s pretending to listen, nodding and making little ums and ahhs, she glances back towards the group. The women erupt into laughter, clearly at something Marcus has said because one of them swats him playfully on the arm. As she watches them Marcus turns to look her way, and his eyes meet hers in a look of quiet puzzlement. Abby looks away hurriedly, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her tummy. This has to stop  _ right here,  _ she tells herself sternly. Right. Here. 

  
  
  



	7. Timeline 1 pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby and Clarke have a few mishaps at the park and meet a handsome stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in Timeline 1: Abby finally had enough of Jake being away on Alpha station and decided to file for divorce (See Chapter 1)

It was mid October, and the trees were already turning every shade of fall, the bright orange and red leaves contrasting with the deep blue sky in a way the green of spring could never match. It was Abby’s favourite time of year, so when she picked Clarke up from kindergarten they went to Central Park to enjoy the last hour of sun and crisp, fresh air. 

They walked hand in hand, Clarke chattering happily about her day at kindergarten. Abby listened with half an ear, which she hated herself for, but her mind was preoccupied with her conversation with Jake yesterday and the decision she had taken about their marriage. Panic rose in her every time she thought about the divorce, but she was trying to stay strong and resolute. 

After half an hour Clarke was hungry, and Abby had forgotten to bring her usual healthy snack so she bought her donut and a juice box, figuring it wouldn’t hurt for once. She got herself takeaway latte and then she settled on a bench to drink it while Clarke jumped in the piles of dry brown leaves, her eyes alight with laughter, and Abby was grateful for the fact that it didn’t take much to amuse four-year-olds.

On the bench opposite a young couple sat wrapped in each other’s arms, his face turned towards hers as she talked to him animatedly. The love in his eyes was clear for all to see, and Abby felt a wave of nostalgia for the time she and Jake had been like that; she alive and buzzing on the high of his quiet adoration. A lump formed in her throat and tears pricked at her eyes. How had they got to this? They’d been so happy, so in love. She swallowed hard, determined not to let her emotions get the better of her here in public.

Blinking fiercely, she looked away from the happy couple, and her eyes met the chocolatey brown eyes of a guy sitting on the next bench along. He’d clearly been watching her, because he looked away when they made eye contact. Abby felt her cheeks warming with embarrassment. She wondered if he’d realised how close she’d been to a breakdown. She studied him out of the corner of her eye. He was wearing a blue hoodie with a black leather jacket over the top, and black jeans. His hair was as dark as his eyes were, and was short and slightly wavy, one curl hanging over his forehead. He was attractive and slightly familiar, but she came into contact with so many people in her job at the clinic that it was entirely possible their paths had crossed before. He must have felt her eyes on him because he glanced back at her again and this time she was the one to look away hurriedly. 

She turned her attention to Clarke, who was running through the leaves with another little girl, hand in hand, best friends even though they’d only met ten minutes before. She saw it happening before it did, the girls’ trajectory heading straight for the outstretched legs of the chocolatey-eyed guy, who was now looking at his phone and completely unaware of what was literally unfolding at his feet. Clarke and the other child hit his legs at full pelt and flew through the air, landing spread-eagled on their tummies in the mud, their collective wails sending birds flying from the trees.

The guy was on his feet in an instant, his expression horror-stricken at the massacre his legs had caused, and immediately helped the two small girls to their feet. Abby was at Clarke’s side in seconds, and Clarke immediately wrapped her arms around her, covering her in mud too, her wails turning to high pitched screams. “My arm! Mommy it hurts, it _ hurts!” _

“I’m so sorry.” The guy was mortified. “I didn’t see them, I was looking at my phone…” 

“It’s okay,” Abby reassured him over Clarke’s shoulder, trying to calm her screams, “It wasn’t your fault.” She looked around for the other child’s mom or dad, and was relieved to see a young mom with a baby in her arms running towards them.

She turned her attention to Clarke, who was becoming hysterical, and watched in dismay as her daughter’s face turned purple as she struggled to draw a breath. Abby knew the signs all too well. “Clarke, breathe honey. Calm down, breathe.” She stroked the child’s cheek, desperately trying to calm the hysteria, but it was too late and Clarke went limp and collapsed against Abby, who was waiting ready to catch her.

“Oh my God! Is she okay?” The man was frantic now, and it was understandable. Children’s breath-holding spells could be scary if you didn’t know what it was. Luckily it wasn’t the first time that Clarke had cried herself into a fit and passed out, so Abby knew there was nothing to worry about except for making sure she didn’t hurt herself when fainted.

“She’s fine. I’m a doctor. She just forgot to breathe, that’s all.” She lay Clarke on the nearest bench, in the recovery position, and stroked her hair while she waited for her to come around.

“She forgot to _ breathe? _ Are you sure she didn’t bang her head? She could have concussion!” 

“I’m sure. It happens.” Her daughter was already stirring as oxygen flooded her brain, her breathing stabilising again once she had passed out and her body’s natural instinct took over. She immediately began whimpering again though, her left hand clutching her right arm. 

“Mommy mommy mommy…it _ hurts _ mommy, my arm, my _ arm! _”

Abby gently felt the injured arm, noting that Clarke’s cries intensified when she touched a certain point a couple of inches above her tiny wrist. “Okay, Clarke, it’s okay, it’s okay.” She looked up at the man. “I need to get her to hospital. I think it may be broken, but she needs to keep it as still as possible. Would you be able to carry her to my car? I won’t be able to manage everything on my own.”

“Of course. It’s the least I can do … it’s my fault she’s hurt in the first place.” He bent and lifted Clarke, holding her under her back and legs, and Clarke looked up at him, her cries temporarily muted in surprise. “I’m so sorry, Clarke,” he said softly. “We’re gonna get you fixed, okay?” Clarke gave him a watery-eyed smile before the tears started again. Abby watched, relieved that Clarke was okay in the arms of a stranger, and turned to pick up her bag from the bench. 

Her gaze fell on an empty bench. She spun around, looking at all the benches, hoping against hope she’d just lost her bearings and was looking in the wrong direction but no, her bag was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh _ fuck.” _ She clasped her hand to her mouth, realising she’d just cursed in front of a complete stranger _ and _her daughter. “Oh. God.” 

“Your bag’s gone?” said the guy, immediately grasping the situation. “Someone’s stolen it. Did you have anything important in it?”’

“Just my whole _ life,” _ returned Abby in dismay. “My phone, wallet, house keys, car keys. _ Jesus. _What the hell am I going to do? I can’t even take Clarke to the hospital.”

“We’ll take my car,” said the man briskly. “And then we’ll go to the police station to report the theft of your bag.”

“No, no, really. It’s fine. I’ll call a cab.” She had no intention of getting in the car with a strange guy, no matter how cute he was. 

“You don’t have any money,” he pointed out.

“Oh. Right.” She rubbed her hand over her eyes. What the hell was she going to do?

“I’m a police officer,“ he said. “If you’re worried about your safety.”

“Where’s your uniform?” asked Clarke, her tears forgotten at the revelation that she was being carried by a _ police _officer. 

“I’m not working at the moment,” he said. “I only wear it when I’m working. But I can show you my badge if you like.” He crouched down and placed Clarke gently on her feet and then pulled his badge out of his inside pocket. 

Abby smiled in relief. He was a police officer, so it was fine to go with him. That also explained why she thought he was slightly familiar. She often came into contact with the police at the clinic, so they’d probably seen each other before. “Okay, thank you. That would be great, Officer…? 

“Kane. Marcus Kane,” he said, picking Clarke up again.

“Okay. Thank you, Officer Kane. My name’s Abby Griffin. Let’s go.”

  
  



	8. Timeline 2 pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kane's concern increases when Abby and Clarke make a strange discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 2: A mugging victim causes Kane and Abby to cross paths, and Kane believes there is more to the case than meets the eye. (See chapter 2)

“Jasper’s got a new girlfriend,” Clarke said the next morning at breakfast as she buttered her toast. “He’s been in love with her for ages and they finally got together at the weekend.” 

Abby took a mouthful of her cereal and watched as Clarke applied a generous helping of chocolate spread to her toast. “That’s great! I’m happy for him.” It was true, she was; Jasper was a sweet kid but at the same time she couldn’t help feeling a pang of nostalgia for the time when the hope of finding true love was just around every corner. She had loved Jake with a passion that had scared her but it hadn’t been enough to withstand the test of time and distance, and had left her heartbroken and a little disillusioned. She’d never given up on the hope of finding love again but she couldn’t help feeling that love of that kind was just a chemical reaction to another person, a blinding explosion which quickly burnt out. Only the lucky few made it out the other side into something permanent and durable. 

She sipped her coffee, strong and black, while Clarke poured herself a coffee and then added three sugars and half a pint of cream. Clarke was sixteen now and her heart clenched at the thought of someone breaking her heart, of someone taking her hopes and shattering them into a million pieces. It was destined to happen at some point and she had to force herself not to be too pessimistic in her attitude to love, or too over-protective of Clarke.

“What about you, Clarke? Any developments with Finn?” Finn Collins had been a constant presence in her daughter’s life for a few months now but as far as she knew nothing had happened between the two of them.

“Nah. He’s cute but he’s still in love with Raven. I don’t think he’s the one for me.”

“Good for you,” said Abby with a smile, her heart lifting. One broken heart avoided. She stood to clear away the breakfast things, loading the plates into the dishwasher while Clarke put away the cream and sugar and wiped the surface.

“Is it today you have that test?” Abby asked Clarke when they left the house ten minutes later. 

Clarke put her bag in the trunk and slammed it closed. “Yeah, history. But it’s okay, I studied at the weekend.” 

Abby slid into the driver’s seat of the car, waiting for Clarke to get in next to her. She was about to start the car when her eye was caught by a piece of paper on the windscreen. Frowning, she climbed out and extracted it from under the wiper. It was a close-up photo of Clarke and Jasper, walking home from school, Jasper laughing as Clarke talked animatedly to him. Clarke looked beautiful, her crystal blue eyes sparkling and her blond hair blowing in the breeze.

“Is this yours?” she asked Clarke, passing her the photo. 

Clarke scrutinised it. “No. Never seen it before. It was taken yesterday though, I was wearing my new black jacket.” She put it down on the dashboard. “Mom, I’m gonna be late. I have that test first period.”

Abby quickly started the car and pulled out of the driveway, her mind immediately on the traffic and the photo forgotten.

………………………….

The first thing Kane noticed when he walked into the police department that morning was that every head immediately ducked behind their computer computer screen when they saw him. He glanced around warily before taking his seat at his desk and switching on his computer. Swivelling around in his chair, he rolled backwards until he was next to Kyle Wick.

“What’s going on?”

“Chief Jaha’s on the warpath. He’s got Pike in there at the moment. By the sound of things, you’re next.”

“What about?” So much for just catching up on some paperwork before heading back to the hospital. Wick opened his mouth to answer but then Jaha’s door opened and Pike came out. 

“Detective Kane,” said Jaha in his soft drawl. “How nice of you to grace us with your presence today. A word, please.”

Wick raised his eyebrows innocently as Kane got up with a sigh. He shook Pike’s hand as they passed each other. 

“Don’t lose your shit,” his partner muttered to him. “It’s not worth it. I’m going to interview the Fox girl’s mom, I’ll be back later.” 

Kane gave a nod of understanding and followed Jaha into his office. 

“I’m pulling surveillance on Vincent Vie,” the chief said as soon as Kane had closed the door behind him. “We don’t have the manpower and there is nothing to suggest that Mr Vie’s aggression was anything more than a senseless street crime.”

Kane looked at him aghast. “Sir, you cannot be serious. You know as well as I do who Vie works for, and the rumours that have been flying around. There’s no way that attack was not premeditated.”

“Detective Kane.” Jaha’s voice rose sharply. “I am in charge of this department, and I -”

“Sir, with all due respect, you’re making a mistake. There are people in that hospital who are in danger as long as Vie is there.” He leant forward, resting his knuckles on the desk. “You know the lengths those people will go to. Innocent people could get hurt.”

Jaha laughed. “Oh Kane, always the melodramatic one. Believe me, nothing is going to happen in that hospital. Mr Vie will be discharged in a couple of days, and this will all blow over. Trust me.”

Kane felt his anger rising. Jaha knew there was more to it than that, he was sure of it.  _ This will all blow over.  _ What the hell did that mean? Someone had got to him, bought his silence, that’s what it meant. A mugging didn’t blow over. He stared down at the desk, willing himself to stay in control, remembering Pike’s words. He couldn’t afford to get suspended, not right now. Especially not now.

He raised his head to look his boss in the eye. “Very well, Sir. I’ll await further instructions before proceeding with this case,” he said, with absolutely no intention of awaiting further instructions. He went to the door, stopping with his hand on the handle when Jaha spoke again.

“Good man,” said Jaha condescendingly. “You could take advantage to get some of those reports done. I’ll expect them on my desk by noon.”

Kane nodded and walked out without looking back.

“Not going back to the hospital today then?” asked Wick with a cheeky grin as Kane sat back down at his desk.

“Chief Jaha doesn’t deem it necessary,” he replied grumpily. “Apparently my time would be better spent typing up reports of little old ladies who reported their handbags stolen but had actually just left them on the bus.”

Wick grinned. “Does that gorgeous doctor still work at the hospital?”

“Yes.” He bashed at his keyboard impatiently, then reddened as he realised what he’d said. Wick’s grin was getting wider by the second. 

“Fifty dollars,” he said, holding out his hand to Sinclair, who shook his head and got his wallet out. 

Kane glared at them both. “What?”

“I bet Sinclair fifty dollars that you spent all day at the hospital yesterday because Dr Griffin was there,”

Kane huffed. “I did not! For what it’s worth, Dr Griffin is a regular pain in my ass.” His tone was indignant but he couldn’t stop his mouth lifting in a small smile as he sipped his smoothie, which didn’t go unnoticed by Sinclair.

“That’s a very attractive pain in the ass,” said Sinclair with a chuckle.

“Hmmm,” said Kane non-committally, turning to his computer screen. He picked up the folder with the reports in and opened it, scowling at the impossibly small writing inside. Oh great. An old guy who’d called the cops at midnight because he heard someone breaking in when in fact he’d inadvertently locked his wife in the cellar. He sighed and started to type.

“I wouldn’t mind giving  _ her _ a pain in the ass,” said Wick cockily. “It’s probably what she needs.”

Laughter erupted around him and Kane put the folder down heavily on the desk. The reports could wait, he needed to get some air. Pushing his chair back, he got to his feet, towering over Wick. 

“You seriously need to rethink your attitude to women,” he growled before grabbing his jacket and heading towards the exit. 

“Kane! What about your reports?” Sinclair called after him, but Kane just waved him off as he pushed through the swing doors.

…………………………..

When Abby arrived at the hospital she was surprised not to see any police officers outside Vincent Vie’s room. Kane had probably just been overreacting after all, she thought as she checked his notes. Strangely enough it was a relief to her; instead of feeling unprotected by the lack of police surveillance she chose to believe there wasn’t actually anything she needed protecting from. She shook her head. Kane had always been over-zealous, to put it mildly. 

She scribbled on Mr Vie’s notes to continue the sedation for another six hours and then moved on to the next patient. She had a dozen patients to see before her ten o’clock appointment with a patient who was scheduled for surgery the following day. Finally she got to the last one, an older gentleman who’d had his spleen removed a few days ago. He was doing well and would be discharged in the next day or two. 

“How are you feeling, Mr Lees?” she asked him with a smile. “Can’t wait to get out of here, huh?”

“It’ll be nice to get home,” said the old gent agreeably. “I’ll be more comfortable in my own bed.”

Abby grinned. “Nothing beats your own bed, right? Not even these state of the art hospital beds.”

“You’re not wrong there,” he laughed. 

“Okay, well I just need to take some blood, and then we’ll see about a discharge date. How does that sound?”

“More blood? I’m not gonna have any left if you doctors keep stealing it all.”

“Mr Lees, it’s only once every twenty-four hours. You won’t miss that small amount.”

“Once every twenty-four hours? I’ve had blood taken twice since dinner time last night.”

“What?” Abby turned to him, stunned. That couldn’t be right. She checked his notes but there was nothing recorded. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. My arm is looking like a colander, it’s got so many holes in it.”

She frowned. Something wasn’t adding up. She gave Mr Lees reassuring pat on the shoulder, and went in search of Jackson. 

“Jackson, do you know why Mr Lees had blood taken during the night? It doesn’t need to be done more than once a day.”

Jackson frowned and took the notes from her. “I’ll look into it at once. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

“Please do,” said Abby.

…………………………..

She finished her appointments at one and was heading to the cafeteria for lunch when she ran smack into Kane again as she hurried around the corner.

“We have to stop running into each other like this,” he said.

“Believe me detective, if I could, I would.” 

He smiled briefly at her irritation and glanced at his watch. “Could I have a word, Dr Griffin?”

“Of course,” she nodded, wondering why he had switched back to her formal title. His face was stony and she wondered if he had more bad news to give her, so she led him into her office without another word. She closed the door and turned to face him.

“Chief Jaha has pulled surveillance on Mr Vie,” he began. 

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me. It seemed a bit over-the-top for a mugging.” She tried not to sound smug but clearly failed since his eyes flashed in annoyance.

“I still believe it was more than a mugging. Unfortunately Chief Jaha’s decision-making is ruled more by budget constraints than by a desire to protect innocent people. So as I said last night, if you see any strange behaviour, strange people, even a strange sensation, please,  _ please _ call me.” 

“Of course! Although if I’m honest, most people around here are strange. Maybe I should call you if I see anyone normal.”

“This isn’t a joking matter, Abby,” he said gravely, and she nodded subduedly.

“Okay. I understand.”

“I’ll check in as often as I can, which won’t be much since I’ve been pulled off the case.”

“That’s great.” She left it open to interpretation whether she meant great that he’d be checking in or great that it wouldn’t be often. “Now if you don’t mind I need to eat.” She moved towards the door and he put his hand on the door handle as if to open it for her, but when he didn’t she followed his gaze to see him frowning at something across the room.

“Is that your daughter?” he asked, and she realised he was staring at the photo of Clarke and Jasper which she had stood against her computer.

“Yes,” she said. “Clarke.”

“You shouldn’t keep her photo here.” He picked it up and handed it to her. “Put it away and take it home. You don’t know who might see it.”

“What? Kane, that’s ridiculous. Lots of staff have photos of their kids in their offices.”

“It’s sentimental rubbish that can put lives in danger,” he snapped. “You see your kids every night, you don’t need to gaze at their photo all day.”

“ _ Sentimental rubbish?”  _ She couldn’t believe her ears. “You’re completely overreacting! It’s just a photo I found on my car this morning.”

He stared at her for a long moment, his mouth open like he hadn’t quite understood what she’d said. “You found it on your  _ car?” _

“Yes. Somebody must have found it and put it there.”

“Is it yours? Or Clarke’s?”

“No, we don’t know where it came from. Like I said, we found it this morning.”

He ran his hand tiredly over his eyes. “And you didn’t think it was worth telling me?”

“No, I didn’t. It’s just a photo.” She was beginning to lose her patience with his condescending tone, and she wanted to go to lunch. She hadn’t eaten anything since seven that morning and her half hour lunch break was nearly over.

“It isn’t  _ just  _ a photo, Abby. It could be a message. Maybe someone is watching you. Watching Clarke.”

She scoffed. “Why would anyone be watching Clarke? She’s just a kid.”

“Jesus Christ. You haven’t taken a blind bit of notice of what I’ve been telling you, have you?” His voice was low with disbelief and a muscle was twitching in his cheek. She blinked at him, hardly able to believe he was getting so angry about something so ridiculous.

“I have,” she spat at him. “You told me to call you if I see anything strange here in the hospital. And I will. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to lunch.” She moved towards the door, but he stopped her again, this time with his hand on her arm. She glanced down at his hand in surprise but when she looked up at him again the look in his eyes stilled her protest on her lips. 

“Abby, call me if you see anything strange here in the hospital, or at home,” he said. “Especially at home. Promise me.”

She sighed in exasperation, realising he wasn’t going to let this go. “Okay, I will. I promise. Thank you for your advice.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. “You know, it’s really not my intention to make your life difficult.”

Something shifted inside her at his tone. She knew she was being unreasonable, and if she was honest with herself his concern touched her. “You don’t,” she said softly. “I appreciate your concern, really. But at the moment I have more important things on my mind, like a patient whose life I need to save this afternoon.”

He nodded, like he had suddenly remembered who she was, and let go of her arm. “Of course, I’m sorry. I’ll let you go. Do you know when Mr Vie will be conscious again?”

“No, I’m not doing the rounds this afternoon. You need to speak to Dr Green.”

“Thank you. I will.” He opened the door and she walked out, and she could feel his eyes following her as she walked down the corridor towards the cafeteria.

  
  


  
  



	9. Timeline 3 pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kane finally plucks up the courage to swipe Abby’s profile on Tinder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 3: Kane sets up a Tinder (or is it Tonder?) account and thinks he’s found the love of his life. (See Chapter 3).

He opened the app, and searched for Abby’s profile. He couldn’t wait to see her smile again, feel the pull of her gorgeous eyes. He scrolled and scrolled, and his heart sank further with each flick of his thumb.

She wasn’t there. She’d deleted. 

Her profile was gone.

With a heartfelt sigh, he opened another can of beer, and flicked to the sci-fi channel.


	10. Timeline 4 pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus and Abby spend a passionate night together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 4: Abby meets Marcus at a student party and they escape to the roof garden for some privacy. (See Chapter 4).

It’s the best weekend of his life. 

They sleep for a couple of hours until he’s woken up by her hands roaming over his body and her mouth pressing soft kisses along his jaw. He’s immediately hard again, and more aware than ever of her breasts against his chest and the warmth of her sex against his leg. 

“Can’t sleep, huh?” he smiles at her eagerness. 

“I’m too squashed,” she mutters. “And I want you.”

He’s never known a woman so eager for him, and it’s almost overwhelming. He wonders what it’s like to be loved by her. He has the feeling she’s the sort of woman who gives a hundred percent of herself, who loves with the passion of a thousand suns. She’s certainly not holding back with him and they’ve only known each other a few hours. 

He kisses her again and he’s losing himself in her already. She’s  _ everywhere,  _ her tongue in his mouth and her hand stroking his cock and her hair tickling his chest. It’s come free from its and is a glorious golden mane around her face, its citrusy scent teasing his senses, and he wants more and more of her.

She sits up, straddling him, and lifts her dress over her head, baring her wonderful breasts to him, full and heavy and pert. He moans softly as he reaches to cup them, thumbing her nipples, and the way her eyes close and her breath quickens makes his cock twitch. Reaching up, he takes a nipple in his mouth and sucks gently, and her sighs are like music to his ears. 

“Marcus.” Her voice is low and breathy and sends shivers down his spine. “Fuck me, please.”

He doesn’t need to be asked twice. He pulls his cock out of his boxers and she angles herself over him, pulling her black panties to the side to allow him access. She sinks down onto him and the sensation is so intense that they both gasp and still, staring at each other in disbelief. 

Then she begins to move, and he nearly loses his mind. She feels so incredible, so hot and tight and wet, and as she slides up and down his length it’s all he can do not to come straight away. He thrusts up to meet her and is pleased to see her eyes close in pleasure. She’s stunning, and he’s so turned on by her he can’t even see straight. His orgasm is building fast and he hopes she’s close too because he can’t hold out much longer. 

“God, Abby, I’m so close…” 

“Touch me,” she gasps, and his fingers find her clit, and he only has to rub a couple of times before she explodes around him, her muscles clenching around him pushing him over the edge into the most mind-blowing orgasm of his life. 

She collapses onto his chest and he continues sliding in and out of her until she’s milked every last drop of his orgasm from him, and his cock is soft and flaccid and flops out on its own with a plop. They smile at each other in bewilderment, breathless and dazed.

“Wow,” she says. “That was fantastic.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, and they laugh. 

They lie together, kissing softly for a while, comfortable together even after such a short time. He still wants to discover all of her though, so after a while he flips them over so that he’s on top of her and she’s on her back, her hair spread out on the pillow like an angel. She bites her bottom lip and looks up at him, anticipation glowing in her beautiful dark eyes. She knows exactly what’s coming, he thinks, and she can’t wait. 

He takes his time, worshipping her body with his mouth, first her breasts which are truly glorious, and he sucks and nibbles each nipple until she’s gasping and writhing. He makes his way lower, kissing the smooth tanned skin of her stomach, and finally he nuzzles between her thighs and his tongue finds the swollen bud of her clit. 

It’s like a jolt of electricity shoots through her, and she arches off the sofa with a cry of pleasure. She tastes amazing and he devours her, and he noticed she loves it when he flicks his tongue at her entrance so he gently inserts first one finger, then two, and as he slides in and out of her she grabs his hair, pulling him upwards so his mouth is where she wants it. 

He gets what she wants and he obliges, taking her clit in his mouth and sucking gently and this time her orgasm is devastating, she pulses under his mouth and around his fingers for an eternity while soft high pitched cries escape her.

When he moves to lie next to her her heart is pounding and her face is flushed and breathless. She curls into him, her cheek against his chest, and she’s asleep within minutes. He covers them with a throw rug since she’s naked, holding her close and staring up at the night sky until sleep takes him too. 

When they wake up the next time it’s nearly dawn and they are freezing. 

“Bed?” he whispers and she nods and peels herself off him. She retrieves her dress and slips it over her head and he buttons his shirt does up the belt of his jeans. Downstairs the house is empty, the party is over and everyone has gone home. The place is a mess but luckily he’d locked his bedroom, so he tucks her into his bed with a kiss and goes to clean up the kitchen and make breakfast. 

He makes toast and eggs and coffee but when he gets back to his bedroom she’s dozed off again, warm and snug under his duvet. He watches her for a moment in amusement. She’s so incredibly sexy and she was the one taking the lead most of the night but now she’s crashed out in his bed from too many orgasms and that makes him chuckle. He kisses her on the lips to wake her up.

“Hey, sleepy head,” he says, nuzzling her nose, and she opens her eyes. “I brought you breakfast.” 

She smiles at him lazily from under her lashes and he feels something tugging at his heart. He wonders how he can be so smitten with her already, it’s too soon surely but she’s soft and warm and beautiful and she’s in his bed and that makes him feel like the luckiest man in the world. 

They eat breakfast and then they sleep another hour, till the sun is streaming in through the window, bathing the room and them with a golden warmth. When they wake up she suggests a shower together, which of course leads to more sex, because she’s irresistible with wet hair and water running down her breasts. It’s more difficult in the shower but he lifts her up and she wraps her legs around him, and he thrusts into her over and over until they both see stars. 

He drops her back to her cousins so she can pick up a change of clothes and toiletries, and then they head to the beach for the afternoon, and he finally finds the courage to ask her about her ex-boyfriend. He’s beginning to realise he’s dangerously close to losing his head over her and he needs to know where he stands, needs to know if it’s well and truly over between them. The last thing he wants is to make a fool of himself or worse, get his heart broken. 

“His name’s Jake,” she explains, lying next to him on her tummy, her head cushioned in her arms. “We met in college, two years ago. I thought he was the man I was going to marry.” She swallows, and he caresses her back lazily, trying to give comfort through his fingers, and she closes her eyes briefly, giving in to his touch before she continues.

“I should have known. He was studying aerospace engineering. He always talked about working on Alpha, but it just didn’t seem real, you know? I thought that our love was strong enough that we’d be able to reconcile our dreams, find a way to be happy together. It wasn’t, of course. It never is, is it? A person can never be happy if they are sacrificing everything they’ve ever wanted for someone else.”

“I guess not,” he says quietly, thinking that he’d give up the job on Alpha in a flash if Abby wanted him to. There’s no way a job could ever be more important to him than being with her, but then working on Alpha has never been his dream, just an interesting interlude to his already fulfilling career. “How long has he been up there?”

“A year. I tried, I really did. I wanted to make it work, but then his contract got extended for another five years, so last time he was home I ended it. That was six weeks ago.”

“I’m sorry,” he says automatically, but of course he’s not at all, because if she was still with Jake she wouldn’t have ended up in his bed last night, and he’s so glad she did. He touches her hair, his fingers running through the silky strands, and she hums with pleasure.

“It’s okay. Right now I’m kind of happy at the way things have worked out.” She smiles at him seductively, her eyes wandering over his face and torso, and goddammit he gets butterflies when she does that. 

“Me too.” Their eyes meet and he’s thinking that they probably need to cool off with a swim before he ends up ravishing her right here on the beach. He clears his throat. “Do you want to have a swim?”

She pulls a face. “Is there seaweed?”

“What?” He frowns at her. “No, not a lot. Why?”

“I have a phobia,” she admits, her cheeks flushing an adorable shade of pink. “I hate it touching me.”

“I’ll protect you,” he says with a grin and she slaps him lightly on the arm.

“Don’t make fun of me. It’s serious. I used to panic and nearly drown as a kid.” Her eyes are twinkling though and he can see she likes the idea of him protecting her. 

“I’m not making fun. Seaweed is nasty. The way it floats menacingly, just waiting to ambush the feet of innocent passing swimmers…”

She giggles and closes her eyes. “You are making fun of me. Well fine, you can go swim on your own.”

He slips his arm around her waist and presses a kiss to her cheek. “Please come…”

She doesn’t need much persuading after that, and they spend a half hour in the water, him carefully fishing stray pieces of weed out of her way although the sea is beautiful and clear and practically weed-free. 

In the evening he shows her how to catch a fish and they grill it on the beach, and then he wraps her in his arms and they look at the stars, trying to see if they can spot Alpha station passing overhead, she leaning back against his chest with her head on his shoulder. His hands slip under her t-shirt, caressing her skin, and it’s not long before they’ve found her breasts and her lips are on her neck. There’s no one on the beach and he’s shielding her body with his so he slips his hand beneath the waist band of her jeans and between her folds. His fingers tease her to a breathtaking orgasm which he silences with a kiss, covering her mouth with his as she gasps and sighs and moans through her climax. 

That night they fall asleep early in a tangled mess of arms and legs and hair, but he’s awoken the next morning by the most wonderful sensations flooding through him. He moans gently, trying to work out if he’s dreaming or not, and quickly realises he’s awake and her mouth is on his cock and oh fuck it’s the most amazing thing in the world. He’s too sleepy to be close to orgasm so he just lies there and enjoys the feel of her lips and tongue. When he feels his climax building he stops her, pulling her up the bed and onto her back, and holds himself above her, feigning annoyance. 

“That was wicked,” he says with a grin. “I was sleeping and you woke me up.”

She bites her lip adorably. “I’m sorry. Didn’t you like it?”

“I did,” he breathes. “I liked it a lot. But it was still wicked.”

“Oh.” She runs her tongue over her lips nervously and he wants to kiss her so bad but he’s not going to give her the satisfaction. 

“So now you are going to have to pay for it.” He settles between her open legs, his cock teasing at her entrance. Her eyes are ablaze with arousal but he just smirks at her.

“The problem is,” he murmurs, “that you have turned me on so much that I’m probably going to come immediately. And I don’t think I’ll be able to wait for you to catch up.”

“Try me,” she says breathlessly, and with that he plunges into her, hard and fast, and her eyes flutter closed as she gives herself up to him completely.

“Look at me,” he whispers. He wants her to watch him and she does, her eyes dark with lust. He thrusts into her relentlessly and it only takes a minute or so before he’s toppling on the edge of his orgasm but suddenly she tenses and cries out and she’s coming too, she’s beaten him to it anyway and he finds this so hot that he comes even harder deep inside her. 

He collapses to the left of her, trying not to crush her but too destroyed by his orgasm to move off her completely. “You came,” he says, laughing against her temple. “I don’t believe it.”

She lets out a low throaty chuckle that’s enough to make him hard again. “You didn’t really think I’d let you win, did you?”

“You -“ He shakes his head, words failing him, so he just kisses her hard on the mouth, his lips bruising and his tongue insistent. When he releases her she takes his face in his hands and looks him in the eyes.

“You can’t be mad. It’s your own fault for being so goddamn hot -“ the way she swears is so sexy - “that I’d come if you just so much as look at me.”

Good God. She really knows how to stroke his ego. He caresses her cheek with his thumb, and for a moment he’s too overcome to speak. “You’re incredible,” he says softly. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

He kisses her again, tenderly this time, trying to pour into the kiss all of the emotion that it’s too soon to put into words. She seems to get it, though, because when he pulls back to look at her her eyes are shining and her smile is soft and she’s even more beautiful than ever, and he folds her in his arms and thanks the stars once again for bringing her into his life. 

  
  
  



	11. Timeline 5 pt2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callie has convinced Abby, now can she convince Marcus?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in Timeline 5: Callie is playing Cupid but Abby is reluctant to give Marcus a chance. (See Chapter 5).
> 
> Credit to the Friends writers for some lines I may have borrowed.

“You told her  _ what?” _

“That you’ll take her to dinner next week.”

“You mean like a date?” Marcus Kane couldn’t believe his ears. 

“Well, sort of. It’ll be fun!”

“No.”

She blinked at him. “Why not?”

He didn’t reply for a while, busying himself instead with unpacking the Chinese takeout she had brought with her. He could feel her eyes on him, waiting for an answer. An answer he didn’t want to give.

When they both had their cartons of food and chopsticks she pressed again. “Why not?”

“Because. I just got out of a long term relationship, which turned out to be the biggest fuckfest imaginable.” His voice cracked a little at the end and he kicked himself. He  _ still  _ wasn’t over the break up.

“Marcus, that was a year ago,” Callie reminded him gently. “It’s time to move on.”

He popped a piece of chicken into his mouth, and chewed on it slowly, “I have moved on,” he said when he’d swallowed it. “I’ve moved on from women.”

“You’re gay?”

He laughed out loud. “No, I’m not gay. I’m just - staying clear of women. Life is much simpler this way.”

A silence fell as they ate their food and contemplated his words. He wondered if she was going to let it go but no.

“It may be simpler, but is it happier?”

He rolled his eyes. “Callie! Yes, I’m happier. I haven’t drunk myself into a stupor for at least six months now.”

“That’s not an accurate measure of happiness, you know.” She put her chopsticks in her carton and rested her elbows on the table. “Don’t you miss having someone who puts you first? Whose life is better when you’re in it, and who brightens your day just by existing?”

“No, I don’t miss those things,” he said thoughtfully. “Because I never had them, and you can’t miss what you never had.”

“Oh Marcus.” Callie was at a loss for words. She’d had no idea how bad things had been between him and his ex. She reached out and took his hand. “Then that’s all the more reason not to give up. Everyone deserves to experience that kind of happiness. To have someone who gazes at them adoringly.”

He grinned impishly, trying to lighten the mood. “I have you for that.”

She swatted his arm. “I do  _ not  _ gaze at you adoringly. I think you’re confusing adoration with exasperation.”

“Probably,” he murmured, picking up his food again. “Anyway, the answer is still no.”

Callie tried another tactic. “She’s beautiful.”

“I’m not interested.”

“And intelligent. She’s a doctor.”

“Then that’s even more reason to say no. The last thing I need is some health freak making me take vitamins and moaning at me when I have a whisky or two after dinner.”

“You’re impossible.”

“I am,” he said proudly. “You should tell your friend that too.”

Callie shook her head in despair. “Okay. I give up. You’re a lost cause, destined to spend the rest of your life alone and miserable.” 

Marcus felt a stab of remorse. He knew it was just because she cared about him. She had a big heart and was lucky to have found happiness a second time and she just wanted the people in her life to share that happiness too. Unfortunately he’d realised a long time ago that there were two types of people in life; those who deserved happiness, and those who didn’t, and he couldn’t for the life of him work out what the criteria were for each group except that he was firmly in the second one. And he’d made his peace with that. 

“I’m sorry. But I know how things will go, Callie. In the beginning it will be all hearts and roses and before I know it she’s taking over my life, putting me on low-fat mayo -“

“It tastes the same,” she interrupted, but he ignored her.

“ - and nagging me to pick my towels up off the bathroom floor.”

“You don’t pick your towels up off the bathroom floor?” she asked, wrinkling her nose in surprise.

He tutted irritably. “Of course I do, which is why I don’t need to be nagged about it.”

Callie shuddered at his logic. 

“Then I’ll get home one day and there will be pictures of babies in vases all over my house.”

She ignored that one completely. “Marcus, look. She’s not looking for anything serious either. She just wants to go out sometimes, catch a movie, eat good food. Enjoy the company of a handsome man and then at the end of the evening go home to her daughter and her life. Does that sound so bad?”

“Oh. No sex?

“Sex is an optional extra. Isn’t it always?

“Hmmm.”

Callie could see he was caving, so she whipped out her phone. “Look at her, Marcus.”

He took the phone from her and looked down at the photo she’d pulled up. She’d chosen a recent photo of Abby laughing with Clarke, and she watched his face intently for his reaction. It was completely unreadable as he studied the photo but when he looked up at her his eyes were soft and shining. 

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “She really is beautiful.”

“Wouldn’t you like to get to know her better?”

He smiled in resignation. “Yeah, I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

“Great!” Callie clapped her hands gleefully. “Friday evening, at the Emerald Dragon in Chinatown.”

“Okay.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I’ll be there.”

  
  



	12. Timeline 6 pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby tries to find a way to deal with her crush on Marcus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 6: Abby takes Clarke to her first soccer match and meets Marcus who is a bit too hot for comfort.

When she gets home she’s in a foul mood. She does  _ not  _ need this complication at the moment. It’s difficult enough moving to a new area, Clarke starting a new school, trying to fit in and make friends without something like this. She snatches a pan out of the cupboard and slams it on the hob, then throws in the vegetables she’d chopped before leaving home that morning, remembering at the last minute to add water to make the soup they are having for lunch. 

She thinks back to her encounter with Marcus, glaring at the soup as if it’s the cause of all her problems. She doesn’t  _ think  _ she made too much of a fool of herself. Okay, she was a bit flummoxed when he caught her, but she had just fallen out of the cafe with a coffee in her hand. Her cheeks burn slightly as she remembers how she’d stared at him vacantly, but that could have been because of the shock of nearly falling. Yes, she thinks. For today her dignity is more or less intact, thanks to her quick thinking in faking the phone call. 

Goddammit though. He doesn’t have to be quite so perfect, does he? If he had those gorgeous twinkling eyes but with bad teeth, or that sexy smile with wispy, flat hair, she’d be fine. She’d probably just think “oh, he has a cute smile”, or “what nice eyes he has.” Or if his beard were bushier, like Santa. But no, the man has  _ everything.  _ Thick wavy hair that her fingers itch to touch. Dark eyes that she could get lost in. A smile that lights up the room and as for the beard… The beard is truly glorious, immaculately kept with just the right sprinkling of grey to be sophisticated and dashing, like the hero of some 21st century sci-fi show. 

And if he had to be so damned perfect, he could at least be full of himself too. That would be the biggest turn off of all. But no, of course he seems to be sweet and humble and to have absolutely no idea of the effect he has on the women around him, which just makes him even more irresistible. She’s pretty sure that most of the other soccer moms have minor crushes on him too if the amount of eyelash fluttering is anything to go by. And who can blame them, she thinks.

If Abby was given a “build your perfect man” kit for Christmas, she’d probably build something that looked exactly like Marcus, minus the wife and family, of course. A nice, single version, preferably with a weakness for petite brunettes with big brown eyes. 

It’s a truth universally acknowledged, she muses miserably, that when you meet the man of your dreams he’ll be happily married to someone else. She stirs the soup and adds seasoning, and slices some fresh bread for her and Clarke. They eat at the kitchen table, and Abby takes advantage of the moment with her daughter to do some fishing for information. 

“What’s the name of the other midfielder, the one with the dark hair?” she asks innocently, although of course she already knows, thanks to the gushing moms.

“You mean Octavia?” Clarke blows gently on her soup, which is still steaming. 

“Is that her name? She’s a good player, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, and she knows it,” says Clarke with a scowl. Typical, thinks Abby. The kid is full of herself, so she obviously doesn’t take after her dad. “She doesn’t like me, I don’t think.”

“Oh, I’m sure she does,” says Abby. “She probably just needs to get to know you.” She can’t help feeling a pang of relief, mind, that she’s not going to be taking Clarke to Octavia’s house for sleepovers every other weekend. 

“Yeah, well, I don’t care. She’s stuck up.”

“Does her dad always take her to matches and training?” Abby asks, changing the subject.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen her mom. He’s not her dad, though. She calls him Marcus. Must be her stepdad, or her mom’s boyfriend, I think.”

“Oh.” Abby doesn’t know what to do with this information. So he might not actually be married, but it doesn’t change a lot if he’s with Octavia’s mom. 

She needs a plan, and she needs advice. And for that she needs a bottle of wine, and her best friend.

“Tell me everything,” says Callie later that evening when she’s curled up on Abby’s couch with an enormous glass of wine. At the other end of the couch, Abby throws her head back and closes her eyes dramatically.

“Callie, based on what you know of me, how would you describe my perfect man?”

Callie eyes her thoughtfully, chewing her bottom lip. “Well, I’d say tall, dark hair and eyes, seems mysterious and smouldering but is actually a soft puppy.”

“Anything else?”

“Probably bearded but not necessarily.”

“Right. Spot on. Well, today I met him.”

“What, really? Abby, that’s great!” Callie’s face is alight with excitement, but Abby hugs her knees and groans softly. 

“No, no. It’s not. He’s the dad of one of the girls on Clarke’s team. I narrowly avoided making a bumbling fool of myself by lurching into him as I came out of the cafe with a hot coffee in my hand and then gaping at him adoringly.” She pauses, remembering his smile and twinkling eyes. “He has the most gorgeous eyes,” she sighs wistfully. “The kind that seem like they are seeing right into your soul, you know? And you just want to stare into them forever.”

“Oh, Abby.” Callie is clearly at a loss for words. “It sounds like you’ve got it bad.”

“You could say that, yes.” She sips her wine, her eyes fixed unseeing on a random point on the floor. “What the hell am I going to do? How am I going to get through these matches every Saturday morning?”

“Okay. You need a strategy.”

“I do.”

“Tell me exactly what happened when you saw him.

“I leaned against the cafè door to open it, and he opened it from the outside so I fell forwards. He caught me by the arm and I apologised.”

“You apologised? But it wasn’t your fault!”

Abby rolls her eyes. “I know that, but my brain wasn’t functioning properly. Then later I heard him talking to some of the moms about the match. He knew Clarke’s name and said she’d played well,” she continues dreamily. “I think he wanted to come and say hello to me so I pretended I had to take a phone call.”

Callie sits up straight, a confused frown on her face. “What? Why?”

“I didn’t want to be a bumbling mess in front of those other moms,” explains Abby patiently.

Callie shakes her head in despair. “He’s never gonna fall in love with you and leave his wife if you won’t even  _ talk  _ to him!”

Abby stares in disbelief, wondering if her friend has gone crazy. “Callie! I don’t want him to fall in love with me!”

“You don’t?”

She lets out a huff of exasperation. “No! I don’t! He has a family, and kids! Well, stepkids. But I’d never want to cause anyone heartache. I need help getting this man out of my head, not into my bed.” As soon as she says the words, though, she has an image of him in her bed, his hands making her skin tingle while his mouth trails hot kisses down her neck and she feels herself growing warm. She hides her face in her hands. “I wouldn’t mind getting him into bed, though,” she mumbles through her fingers. 

“Oh, Abby.” Callie’s silent for a moment, ruminating on the situation. “Well, I guess you have to be friendly, but keep your distance. Aloof, so to speak.”

“Aloof?”

“Yes. Be pleasant, smile and say hello, but then swan off, like you have more important things to do.”

“Swan off?”

“Yes, you know how swans stick their beaks in the air and glide away gracefully.”

Maybe it’s the wine, but Abby’s brain is beginning to get fuddled. “Don’t swans also mate for life, and make cute heart shapes with their necks?”

Callie tuts. “Okay, let’s forget the swans. What I’m saying is you have to be pleasant but detached.”

“Pleasant but detached. I can do that.” She nods into her wine resolutely.

“And then,” says Callie with a wry smile, “you just have to hope and pray.”

“For what?”

“That the idiot doesn’t fall head over heels in love with you, of course.”

…………………….

  
  


The following Saturday morning Abby wakes up with butterflies of anticipation fluttering in her tummy. While she showers she repeats Callie’s mantra over and over to herself. “Friendly and aloof. Pleasant but detached. Swan away,” she mutters, still not sure what that means. Her stomach is in knots so she skips breakfast, figuring she can get a coffee at the match, which will also give her a chance to swan in, be aloof, and swan out again. Clarke is always hyper before a match so Abby is content to let her chatter on manically in the car, listening with half an ear for once.

Once in the cafe she grabs a stool at the counter and places her order. There are a group of moms in the corner, and she gives them a cheerful smile and a breezy “Morning!” as she takes her seat. She’s just sipping the steaming beverage when the door opens and HE walks in.

Oh God. As much as she wants to avoid him, she feels a flush of excitement as she watches him discreetly out of the corner of her eye, because no matter what it’s  _ always  _ a pleasure to rest your eyes on something so visually pleasing. He’s wearing a brown winter coat and he’s taking off his scarf as he smiles at the women, who welcome him warmly. He’s clearly well liked in the group.

He glances towards the counter and his eyes find hers. She wills herself not to look away in embarrassment but instead holds his gaze and gives a detached smile, mentally congratulating herself. It clearly wasn’t quite as detached as she’d hoped, though, because he immediately heads over to the counter and takes the seat next to her, much to the disappointment of the other women.

“Hi,” he says, flashing her that smile that has haunted her every waking moment for the last week. “You’re Clarke’s mom, aren’t you?” He holds out his hand formally, and her heart races as she realises she’s going to have to shake it. How can she remain detached if he’s touching her hand?

“Yes,” she says, trying to smile aloofly and failing miserably. She takes his proffered hand, which is wonderfully warm and firm, and yet at the same time soft and - 

“I’m Marcus.” He startles her from her thoughts, and she realises she’s still holding his hand, which she drops hastily.

“Abby,” she says, trying to emanate confidence. “Abby Griffin.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Abby.” He catches the barista’s attention and orders his coffee and then he turns back to her, his elbow resting on the counter and his brown eyes watching her keenly. “Clarke’s a great little player. We’re lucky to have her on the team this year.”

“Thank you,” she says, a little surprised. She’s immensely proud of Clarke, and it lifts her heart to hear others praise her too. “Octavia is great too. She was the best player on the team last week.”

He chuckles, and she can’t help smiling with him. “Yeah, she’s good, but she knows it too.” His coffee arrives then and he picks it up. “Would you like to join us? I can introduce you to everyone.”

Oh, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go at all. Being taken to be introduced to everyone isn’t being detached and aloof, but the expression on his face is so genuine and kind she doesn’t have the heart to say no. She tries to turn her reluctant nod into a grateful one and they make their way to the table in the corner.

There are five other moms there now, and Abby makes sure to sit down between two of them, across from Marcus. The other moms are pleasantly welcoming, and she’s soon chatting to a fierce looking lady called Indra who seems to be friendly with Marcus but doesn’t indulge in eyelash fluttering in the slightest. Indra is head of the school parents’ association, she learns, and as she sips her coffee and listens to Indra describing the various activities planned for the year she forgets about the man sitting opposite her for a moment. At one point the other women erupt into laughter at something he says and his eyes meet hers across the table, but she manages to ignore the adrenaline that tingles in her veins and just gives him a warm but vague smile. Feeling accomplished, she turns her attention back to Indra, and she thinks that maybe she can do this, and it’s going to be okay after all. 


	13. Timeline 1 pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus takes Abby and Clarke to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 1: In the park, Clarke tripped over Marcus’s legs and broke her arm, and Abby’s bag got stolen in the ensuing chaos. (See Chapter 7).

The trip to the hospital was uneventful. Abby sat in the back of Kane’s car, holding Clarke, who had settled into a tearful daze against Abby’s breast, occasionally hiccupping in the aftermath of her crying fit. Once parked, Kane opened the door and took Clarke from her arms, but this time Clarke cried and reached for Abby. They entered the ER and turned left towards the pediatric department. 

Luckily the doctor who examined Clarke was a former colleague of Abby’s who had known Clarke since she was a baby. He chattered away, trying to distract Clarke with silly faces and voices which even succeeded in bringing a smile to the small girl’s face. A trip to the x-ray department revealed a simple fracture of the radius and Clarke was allowed to choose the colour of the cast she wanted. To Abby’s surprise she opted for an orange one. “Like the colour of the leaves,” Clarke explained.

Kane was still waiting for them in the waiting room when they emerged, Clarke beaming and eager to show him her cast. 

“I have to have it on for six weeks,” she said proudly. “An’ my friends can write their names on it!”

“That’s cool!” he said.

“Can you write your name?” asked Clarke shyly.

“Is it safe?” He glanced questioningly at Abby, who nodded in confirmation, so he took a pen from inside his jacket and wrote on Clarke’s arm “To the bravest girl I know. Keep smiling, Marcus x.” 

Clarke peered at the words, trying to read them, but she could only make out a few letters so Abby read it aloud for her and Clarke beamed at Marcus again. 

“Can you draw butterflies?”

“Clarke…” 

“I want a butterfly too, mommy,” whined Clarke, but Abby shook her head. 

“We need to get to the police station. I’ll draw you a butterfly later, okay?”

Clarke pouted and Marcus smiled and leaned closer to Clarke, so that Abby couldn’t hear. “I’ll draw one at the police station, okay? When mommy is filing her report. But now we have to go.”

Clarke was happy with that, so they left the hospital, Clarke showing her orange cast to everyone they met on the way out. Abby rolled her eyes in amusement. Her daughter was already so dramatic.

…………………...

The police station was heaving with people so Marcus grabbed a data-tab for Abby to report the theft of her credit cards, driving licence, car keys and cell phone and took Abby and Clarke to a small private interview room. He kept Clarke amused in the corner, so that Abby could report the theft in peace, and when she had finished Clarke proudly showed her the three butterflies he had drawn on her cast. Abby admired them, trying to keep a straight face because she couldn’t help feeling they looked more like aliens than butterflies.

“It’s not easy to draw on the plaster,” Marcus said with a grimace, and a bubble of laughter escaped her. 

“They’re great, she’s happy with them. Thank you for everything.”

The laughter left his eyes. “No problem. I’m so sorry you’ve had such a horrible day.”

She shook her head and took a deep breath as the events of the day crashed down on her. She still hadn’t worked out how to get home, or how she was going to get into her house. It was getting late, and Clarke needed dinner, and a bath, although that was going to be complicated with the cast...

“Hey.” He got to his feet, his eyes full of concern, and placed an uncertain hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.” 

“I don’t know how to get home, I still can’t get into my house.” She sighed. “What a mess. I really didn’t need this today.”

“I don’t think anybody ever needs to have their bag stolen and their daughter break her arm,” he said. “I’ll take you home. Does anyone else have a key to your house?” 

“My husband.” She bent to lift Clarke, who was tugging at her sleeve. Clarke buried her face in her neck, the pain in her arm making her clingy.

“Where does he work?”

“Alpha Station.” 

“Okay, that might be a bit far,” he said and she smiled weakly despite herself. 

“Or my friend, but she’s out of town today. She’ll be back about nine, I think. If I can use a phone, I can call her and check.”

“Of course. Here.” He handed her his phone, swiping the screen to unlock it for her, but not before she’d caught a glimpse of a cherubic dimpled face with curly dark hair. She dialled Callie’s number and waited for her friend to pick up, and Marcus moved away to give her some privacy in her call. 

As she’d thought, Callie was due in on the nine twenty train so Abby arranged to meet her at the station to get her key, which meant she had more than two hours before she could go home. Clarke was getting grizzly; it was past her dinner time so she was probably hungry. 

Marcus took one look at Clarke’s grumpy face and Abby’s increasingly stressed expression and came to the rescue again. “Do you like pizza? There’s a decent Italian restaurant just across the road. We could get something to eat while we’re waiting for your friend’s train.”

Relief flooded through her. That would be the perfect solution, but she didn’t have any money. 

“It’s on me,” he said quickly. “It’s the least I can do for all the problems I’ve caused you this afternoon.”

“You’ve already done more than enough,” she said gratefully. “But pizza would be great. I’ll pay you back, though, when everything is sorted…”

“Really, it’s not necessary.” He ruffled Clarke’s curls as he went on. “It’ll be an honour to take two such beautiful ladies to dinner.”

Clarke smiled at him and Abby felt herself blushing at his unexpected compliment. 

“Mommy, lets go eat pizza with Marcuuuuuus,” Clarke whined pleadingly. Marcus was watching her with a strangely hopeful expression and Abby had no choice but to nod and accept his offer. 

“Okay baby. We can go for dinner with Marcus. But I mean it,” she said to him. “I’ll pay you back.”

  
  


…………………..

  
  


The restaurant was reasonably quiet and they were accompanied to a small booth at the back, which felt strangely intimate but given Clarke’s fractious state was probably for the best. Abby placed Clarke next to the wall and then sat next to her, and Marcus sat down opposite them. They ordered their pizzas and while they waited for them to arrive Clarke drew on the paper placemat with Marcus’s pen, until the waiter brought her a pot of coloured pencils, much to her delight, and Abby’s relief. Her daughter loved drawing, and it never ceased to amaze Abby how easily she was able to find peace amidst the chaos as long as she had a pencil in her hand, and of course Clarke being calm meant that Abby felt calmer too. She followed her daughter’s hand as she deftly drew and coloured butterflies and flowers, while Marcus looked on in amazement. 

“She’s really good,” he said in awe. “These drawings are amazing for a child of her age.”

He glanced at the butterflies he’d drawn on her plaster. “She puts my butterflies to shame.”

Abby tried to smother a giggle and failed. “They do have a rather... alienesque aspect to them.”

He rolled his eyes in mock offence. “Alienesque? Is that even a word?” 

Abby giggled harder. “I have no idea!” 

Marcus tutted and shook his head, and that was enough to make Abby laugh until her eyes were watering. “I’m sorry,” she gasped. “It’s been a stressful day. I don’t even know what I’m laughing at.” She wiped her cheeks with her hands and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. She didn’t want to come across as hysterical. When she glanced up at him again he was watching her, a sweet smile of amusement playing on his lips. 

“Don’t apologise,” he said, and she felt an unfamiliar rush of warmth spreading through her. Oh God, she thought to herself. Was she -  _ attracted  _ to him? She was still married. Jesus. She looked away hastily, focusing on Clarke’s drawings again. 

When the pizzas arrived she cut Clarke’s into slices so that she could eat it with her good hand. Clarke devoured a slice and then decided she wanted ketchup on the rest of it. In general Abby tried to discourage her from drowning her food in ketchup because she wanted her to appreciate the diverse flavours of the food she was eating but after everything her daughter had been through she didn’t have the heart to argue.

“Ketchup?” asked Marcus, feigning horror. “You don’t put ketchup on Italian pizza!”

Clarke glared at him. “Ketchup goes on  _ everything,”  _ she returned, reaching across Abby for the bottle.

“Clarke, it’s rude to reach across people,” said Abby, passing her the bottle. “Just a little bit though, okay? Or Marcus will have a heart attack.”

Obviously Clarke shook the bottle too hard and covered the whole pizza, and Abby had to scrape the thick red gloop off so that it was edible. Clarke was happy with that, until she spotted the bottle of balsamic vinegar and wanted to try that too.

“It’s for salad,” Abby explained tiredly. “Not pizza. And anyway, you won’t like it. It’s sour.”

“I wanna try though,” Clarke insisted, and although Abby appreciated her daughter’s willingness to try new things, she didn’t want to ruin the pizza by drowning it in vinegar.

“You can try it another time, on some tomatoes. Not on the pizza, though.”

Clarke stuck out her bottom lip defiantly, and pushed her plate away. “Don’ want the pizza then.”

“Clarke…” She was beginning to panic. Clarke was about to go into meltdown, and she didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Marcus, when he had been so kind to them.

“I’ll tell you what,” he intervened at that point. “How about we put a tiny drop on a small piece of pizza, and you can try that.”

Clarke liked that idea, so Marcus dripped a few drops of the thick brown liquid onto the crust of her pizza, and Clarke took a bite, turning her nose up at the sweet but sour taste. “It’s gross!”

Abby sighed.“I told you. Are you going to eat the rest of your pizza?”

Clarke rubbed her eyes. “No. I’m tired, mommy.” 

“Do you want to sit on my lap and have a sleep?”

“No.” Clarke turned to look at Marcus with big watery blue eyes. “Wanna sit on Marcus’ lap.”

Abby gave an awkward laugh. “Well, shall we ask Marcus if that’s okay?”

Clarke nodded, and Abby looked at him questioningly. He looked a bit unsure but then he said, “Of course!” and Abby couldn’t help noticing he actually looked quite flattered at Clarke’s request. 

Clarke squeezed past Abby and went around the table to Marcus, who lifted Clarke onto his lap. Clarke immediately snuggled into his chest, watching Abby reproachfully with heavy eyes. 

“What do you think my chances are of finding my bag again?” Abby asked Marcus, hoping that by ignoring her, Clarke would doze off. 

He took a bite of his pizza and chewed it before he answered. “Not good, to be honest, but sometimes they’re just looking for cash, and they take whatever there is and then dump the rest. Did you have a lot of money?”

“Only about twenty dollars. They won’t get far with that. It’s just the hassle of losing everything else.” She finished her pizza and her eyes came to rest on her daughter’s angelic face. “Oh. She’s asleep.” 

“I know,” he said. “I felt her suddenly become heavy in my arms.” 

Abby suddenly realised that she was here in this cosy Italian restaurant, her daughter asleep in this man’s arms, and she knew absolutely nothing about him. Was he married? Did he have kids? What would his wife think if he knew he was here with Abby and her daughter as if  _ they  _ were his family? 

“You know, you’ve been so incredibly kind to us,” she began shyly. “But I don’t know anything about you. Do you have children?”

A flicker of something resembling sadness crossed his face, and he looked away from her, focusing on something behind her. “I have a daughter,” he said. “But she lives with her mom. We split up before she was born.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Abby immediately regretted asking such a personal question. She remembered the photo of the child on his phone. That must have been his daughter. 

“It’s okay. It is what it is, so to speak.” He smiled sadly.

“I hope they live near, and you can see her often.”

“Um, not really.” He didn’t offer anything else and Abby decided not to probe any further. “Not as far as Alpha Station, though. That must be hard.”

“Yeah…” she didn’t want to go into details about her divorce just yet. “You could say that.”

This time it was his turn to change the subject. “So, you’re a doctor? Where do you work?”

After that the conversation turned to more neutral topics, and they chatted easily for the next forty-five minutes, Clarke slumbering peacefully in his arms. They ordered coffee, and when it was time to go and meet Callie Marcus carried the still sleeping Clarke to his car, and then he went into the station to meet Callie and get Abby’s key so that Abby could stay in the car with her daughter. 

Once back at her house, he carried Clarke into the the living room and placed her on the couch. Abby accompanied him to the door, and he paused awkwardly, clearly wanting to say something, but instead he just pulled out his wallet and extracted a business card. 

“Here’s my number,” he said, handing it to her shyly. “If you need anything else. And if you want to let me know how Clarke’s arm is, I’d really appreciate that.”

Feeling equally shy, Abby took the card. “Of course I will. Thank you again for everything. I don’t know what I’d have done without you today.”

“Without me, Clarke wouldn’t have broken her arm and those wretched thieves wouldn’t have stolen your bag.”

“Good point.” She smiled up at him, and she was struck by how beautiful his eyes were in the soft light. “Thank you anyway. And I’ll be in touch.”

“Great! I’ll look forward to it.” And with a last nod, he was gone. 


	14. Timeline 2 pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kane finally talks to Vincent Vie, and Abby meets a troubled teenager.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in Timeline 2: Kane is investigating an attack on Vincent Vie and is worried about a strange photo of Clarke that Abby found on her car. (See Chapters 2 and 8).

The waiting room was empty and Abby took advantage to grab a bottle of water from the vending machine in the corner. She only had another twenty minutes till she finished her two hour session at the young people’s consultation centre she volunteered at once a week. The centre was designed to give teenagers the possibility of an anonymous consultation about topics they were too shy to talk to their family or doctor about and Abby offered her services for free for two hours on Tuesday evenings. 

She finished the bottle of water and inserted it back into the machine where it would be collected and recycled. It was raining outside again and she stared out of the window glumly, wondering if it was worth returning to her office on the other side of the hospital to get her umbrella. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear the door open and the girl’s voice startled her when she spoke. 

The girl was pretty, with short dark hair and startling green eyes, but Abby thought she couldn’t possibly be older than 14. She stood nervously in the corner by the door, the fear her eyes a stark contrast to the confident set of her mouth and jaw. Abby’s heart went out to her and she closed the space between them, smiling reassuringly. 

“Hi!” she said brightly. “I’m Dr Griffin. Come on through. What can I do for you?” 

The girl followed Abby into the consultation room and Abby gestured for her to take a seat. The girl sat, looking around a little like a deer caught in the headlights. 

“I just wanted some information,” said the girl in a stronger voice than Abby had expected. When she didn’t go on, Abby prompted her gently. 

“That’s what I’m here for! Information about what?”

The girl clamped her lips together and looked at Abby appraisingly, like she was trying to decide if she was trustworthy. 

“About drugs.”

“Drugs?” Abby raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah. Like heroin.” She jutted her chin out as she said the word, as if to show that she was comfortable with it coming out of her mouth. She clearly wasn’t.

“Have you taken heroin?” Abby braced herself for the answer. She wouldn’t be the first teenaged heroin addict Abby had come across.

“No! I’d never.” She seemed indignant and Abby let out an invisible sigh of relief. 

“So… what would you like to know?”

The girl looked around the room and swallowed hard. She seemed to be fighting an inner battle, but Abby had no idea what about.

“Like. How easy is it to stop taking heroin. And how likely is it you’ll die if you don’t stop.”

“Well, that depends on how much you take, and how long you’ve been taking it,” said Abby. “Do you know someone who is taking it?”

“I - I think so. I’m not sure.”

“Why do you think they might be?”

“I found syringes. In the bin.”

“Well syringes are used for lots of things,” Abby said gently. “Maybe the person suffers from a medical condition that requires intravenous or intra-muscular drugs?”

“They don’t. I know they don’t.” The girl’s eyes filled with tears and Abby’s heart broke a little more. The person was likely a family member or close friend. 

“Does this person seem to be behaving differently? Do they seem depressed? Or aggressive? Or more relaxed than usual?”

The girl chewed on her lip in thought. “Not depressed. Angry maybe. Snappy. They lose their temper at the tiniest thing.”

“Okay, well listen. The first thing we need to do is try to understand if this person is taking drugs, and then we can try and help them. I need you to keep a record of how often and when you find the syringes, and how his or her moods change during the day. Can you write these things down, and bring them to me next week?”

“Okay.”

“Try not to worry. There are lots of possible explanations, okay? We need to rule them all out. Have you talked to another adult about this?”

“No. Not yet. Only you.” She finally smiled at Abby, her eyes lighting up briefly. Abby was glad, it seemed like the girl had decided to trust her. She hoped she would be able to help her get to the bottom of this. 

“Do you want to tell me your name?”

“No.” She paused. “Not yet. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Whenever you’re ready.” Abby stood up and went to the filing cabinet in the corner. Opening the top drawer, she rifled through the files until she found what she was looking for. 

“Here are some leaflets about heroin addiction,” she said, handing them to the girl. “Have a read and see if anything seems familiar. But remember, it may very well be something else. Something completely innocent.”

“Alright.” The girl took them pushed them into her pocket. “And thanks, Dr Griffin.”

“Abby,” said Abby with a smile. The girl just nodded in response and got up and left the room, and Abby stared after her thoughtfully. The girl was a bit of a mystery, in some ways incredibly young but something in her eyes showed a wisdom beyond her years. Abby just hoped she’d come back next week. 

……………………….

  
  


Vincent Vie was strong enough to come off the sedative on Wednesday morning. Abby was sure he wasn’t up to being interrogated by Kane but she had promised to let him know when he was awake so she called him reluctantly from the privacy of her office. She thought he would be pleased he could finally get some answers but his tone had seemed even graver than before.

“I need you to say he’s too weak for visitors,” he told her. “He’s not to speak to anyone -  _ anyone -  _ except me. Do you understand?”

Was the man always this melodramatic? She gripped her phone harder and took a deep breath. “I understand,” she said patiently. “Nobody except you.”

“Not even other members of NYPD,” he reiterated. 

“That could be difficult. Last time I opposed the police I nearly got arrested.”

She heard him chuckle on the other end of the phone. “You managed to hold me off. You’ll think of something.” He paused, and she didn’t know what to say to that so she said nothing. “I have faith in you, Abby.”

“Thank you. I think.” She wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or not. Obstructing the police wasn’t something she’d ever considered her strong point, and she really didn’t want to get arrested for real this time. 

He must have read her mind. “Try not to get arrested though, okay?”

“If I do I’ll be counting on you to get me released.”

“Of course,” he said at once.

…………………….

Vincent Vie was stable once he was off the sedative but still in a lot of pain so Abby upped his pain meds. She showed him how to regulate the dosage himself using the dial on the IV tube, and reassured him that the maximum dosage he’d be able to give himself wouldn’t ever exceed the safe limit, so to take as much as he felt he needed. Then she sat down next to him, and took his hand in hers.

“Mr Vie,” she began. “Vincent. Do you remember how you got here?”

The man nodded. “They had… a knife,” he said slowly.

“Right. You were attacked, Vincent. And later today, a detective from NYPD will want to talk to you about what happened. But you only need to talk to him if you feel up to it, and for as long as you feel you can. Okay?”

“Okay. I don’t remember much to be honest. But yes, I’ll tell him what I can.”

Abby smiled. With any luck Vincent would tell Kane everything he could in a couple of minutes and it would all be over and done with, and Kane would be out of her hair. She squeezed Vincent’s hand and left him to rest, but not before taking a blood sample to check for infection and renal function.

Kane turned up at four pm, and Mr Vie was sleeping, so Abby told him he had to wait yet again, much to his annoyance. 

“Go get a coffee and a donut,” said Abby tiredly. “I’ll text you when he wakes up.”

“We don’t all eat donuts, Abby,” he said irritably. 

“You don’t?” She looked at him in mock surprise and he shook his head in good-humoured exasperation at her teasing.

He sat down on the row of chairs in the corridor. “I’ll just wait here, if that’s okay.” 

…………………………

  
  


Vincent woke up about forty minutes later, and Abby checked with him again that he felt up to talking to Kane. When he consented she called Kane in from the corridor where he was playing scrabble on his phone. Nice job, she thought to herself, and then remembered that he wasn’t here officially, so he probably wasn’t on police time anyway.

“Ten minutes,” she warned him. “He’s still weak and in a lot of pain. If he shows any sign of distress, that’s it. My decision is final or I’ll call your boss. Oh, and I’m staying in the room.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a grin as she opened the door to let him in. 

She was impressed with how he talked to Vincent, his voice calm and reassuring and never pressing too much for information when he saw the man was struggling to answer. He told him as much as he could about the attack, but when Kane started asking questions about why he thought he’d been attacked Vincent clammed up and refused to say another word. Abby could see Kane getting frustrated so she stepped in.

“Okay, that’s enough,” she said gently and Kane let out a frustrated sigh. 

“Just a moment, Abby. Mr Vie, please. Give me a name, a clue. Anything.” 

Vincent shook his head weakly with a helpless glance at Abby, who turned to Kane. “I said, that’s enough. Do I need to make that call?”

Kane ignored her. “Mr Vie, the sooner you tell me what’s going on, the quicker this will all be over. There was a reason you contacted me. You know something. We can put you and your family on the witness protection program if you’re scared.”

Abby watched Vincent’s monitor, where his heart rate and blood pressure were rising sharply.

“Okay, that’s it,” she snapped, glaring at Kane. Goddamn him, he had promised to listen to her. “You have until three or I’m calling Chief Jaha.”

Kane nodded in defeat. “Okay. I’m sorry. Mr Vie, if you want to talk, you know where I am. Take care.” He left the room with an apologetic glance at Abby, who gave Mr Vie a shot of sedative to calm him. 

“I’m sorry,” she said to Vincent. “I told him not to insist.”

“It’s okay. He’s just doing his job,” said Vincent weakly. 

“Hmmm,” said Abby. She adjusted Vincent’s pillows to make him more comfortable and then left him with orders to rest and went in search of Kane.

She didn’t have to look far. Kane was waiting for her in the corridor, a distraught look on his face.

“I’m sorry,” he said at once. “Is he okay?” 

Abby nodded. “He is now.”

“Oh God. I’m so sorry. I should have stopped. I just -” he rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. “I need him to tell me what the hell is going on. Names, anything. I’ve literally got  _ nothing _ to go on.”

“Has it occurred to you that  _ nothing  _ is going on?” she asked but he tutted dismissively. 

“Then why did he contact me, wanting to talk, and why was he attacked the night before he was due to meet me? Even you can’t deny that’s a coincidence, Abby.”

Abby shook her head, not sure what to say. She wasn’t a cop, she knew nothing about these things.

“I don’t know,” she said wearily. “But I do know that my patient’s welfare is my first and foremost concern. I can’t let you distress him like that again.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He looked genuinely contrite. “Can I talk to him again tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, Kane…” She sighed. “I don’t know if he’s up to it, and I don’t think he’ll tell you anything anyway.”

“Abby, please,” he pleaded, and she frowned. If he wanted to talk to Vincent he didn’t need her permission, but if he was asking for it she was going to take full advantage to put her patient’s well-being first. 

“Let’s see how he is tomorrow,” she said cautiously. 

“Okay. Thank you.” He sighed. “I just want to get to the bottom of this.”

There was an uncharacteristic hopelessness in his eyes that touched something inside of her. “You will,” she said warmly, and his expression lifted a little in gratitude. “You will.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	15. Timeline 4 pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby and Marcus enjoy a weekend together after meeting at a college party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Timeline 4: Abby meets Marcus at a college party and things get steamy very quickly. (See Chapters 4 and 10).

It’s the best weekend of her life too. 

That morning they stroll along the beach to the nearest town. The beach is quiet for a Sunday morning, and they laugh at a dog pushing stones down the beach to the sea with his nose and then picking them up in his mouth and carrying them back up the beach to start his arduous quest all over again. There are children digging an intricate network of tunnels in the sand while their parents read the news or flick through social networks on their phones, and a group of teenagers are playing beach volleyball.. 

They find an adorable little Italian cafe overlooking the sea and decide to stop for lunch. Her tummy is rumbling and the aromas of basil and garlic coming from the kitchen are making her mouth water. They sit opposite each other and he takes her hands across the table, and he looks so goofily happy it brings a lump to her throat.

“I love Italian food,” she sighs happily, looking around at the paintings of Venice, Florence and Naples on the walls. “Have you ever been to Italy?”

“No. I had the chance to go and study there, but I didn’t take it. It was just before my mom died, and I wanted to be here.” The goofy smile leaves his face and she instantly regrets her question.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He is young to have lost his mom, and her heart aches for him. “How did she die?”

“She had Alzheimer’s, and she just kind of faded away. First mentally, then physically.”

“Alzheimer’s is awful,” she murmurs. “My uncle has it. I’m so sorry, Marcus.”

He gives her a weak smile. “Thank you. It really is heartbreaking to go through.”

She wishes she’d known him then, so that she could have been there for him. The thought of him watching his mum slip away all alone breaks her heart. 

“Anyway,” he goes on, eager to change the subject. “Then there were all those problems in London, and I decided Europe wasn’t the best place to be at that moment.”

“London is a long way from Italy, you know,” she teases gently. “But I can understand your concern.”

“The whole continent is unstable,” he says. “The Former United Kingdom is a loose canon at the moment. These trade embargoes are worrying.”

She’s quiet for a moment, pondering what he’s said. The FUK has been politically unstable for the best part of the last century, ever since it left the old Union of Europe or whatever it used to be called. “Do you really think there’s a chance of another war in Europe?”

“I don’t know. I hope not.”

Abby runs her fingers over the back of his hand, playing with the soft dark hairs that grow there. “The human race has survived worse than this, Marcus,” she says reassuringly. “Remember that crazy president that we had, about the same time as the split in Europe? Everyone thought the world was going to end then, too. Humans are fairly stupid but we have an uncanny knack for not wiping ourselves out, you know.”

“I hope you’re right,” he says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers brush her cheek and she takes his hand in hers and kisses his knuckles. 

“I am. You’ll see,” she says smugly. “Anyway, I’m glad you didn’t go to Italy. You’d probably be married to some hot Italian girl by now.” She grins, trying to lighten the mood, and it works because he laughs and leans forward to kiss her but their lips have scarcely touched when they’re interrupted by their food arriving, and they tuck into the steaming plates of tortellini alla panna e noci, or small pasta parcels filled with ham and covered in cream and walnuts. 

After lunch they walk back along the beach, their arms wrapped around each other. “What would you like to do this evening?” he asks. “Apart from that,” he gives her a knowing grin, seeing the way her eyes light up. “Before we go to bed, I mean.”

She thinks for a moment. “Let’s have a moonlight picnic.”

“A moonlight picnic? Okay, that sounds good.” 

She stops, pulling him towards her and threading her arms around his neck seductively. “We could go skinny dipping,” she whispers mischievously, her mouth close to his ear. 

“You mean, naked?” His face breaks into a slow grin.

“Of course I mean naked. If not it’s just swimming.”

“We could be arrested.”

“The risk is part of the fun. And - there are probably other rewards too.”

“You’re going to be the death of me.” He kisses her, sucking on her bottom lip, and she gives a small moan and chases his kiss, pulling his head down for more. 

And so, later that evening, they find a secluded cove, and within minutes she’s stripped off and plunged into the water, diving beneath the waves but when she comes up for air he’s still standing on the shore with his shorts on. “Come on!” she calls, floating teasingly on her back so that he can see her nipples just below the surface.

“I’m just wondering why it’s absolutely necessary to take my shorts off when they double perfectly well as swim shorts and I don’t have to risk being arrested for indecent exposure,” he says awkwardly, although she can see his eyes are drawn to her breasts.

“Because,” she says mischievously, “that’s no fun.” She dives beneath the waves again and when she comes up again he’s next to her and naked and pulling her into his arms, and she laughs and wraps her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and they kiss in the moonlight.

“Make love to me here,” she says, and he stills as their eyes meet, because there’s a distinct line between making love and fucking, and she’s just crossed it. She wonders if it’s too soon but he just buries his face in her neck, kissing the salt from her skin, while his fingers slide under her open legs to caress her sex. 

It feels wonderful and she sighs as his fingers dance over her clit but she wants more, she wants him inside her.

“Marcus, please.”

“There’s a slight problem, Abby,” he mutters against her skin. “It’s a bit cold.”

She laughs wickedly, reaching down to feel for his limp cock which is floating pathetically in the water. “Oh my. This is no good.” She begins to caress it, stroking it gently, running her hand over his balls, and he groans and stiffens slightly in her hand but he’s still not hard enough. 

“It might be better if we just get out.”

“Spoilsport.” She turns and swims away from him, and then shrieks as a piece of seaweed touches her foot and she splutters on a mouthful of seawater. She hears his deep chuckle and then feels his hands grabbing her as he lifts her away from the heinous marine plant and carries her to the shore like a naked bride and groom crossing the threshold. 

He lays her on the rug and leans over her, his face alight with laughter. “You’re crazy, you know that? And you make me crazy too.”

She grins back up at him breathlessly. He’s so gorgeous in the moonlight, the water glistening on his tanned skin, his eyes and hair as inky black as the night sky. He lies down next to her and wraps the enormous rug around them both and they snuggle under it, trying to get warm, his hands running over her body as he places feather light kisses on her nose and eyelids and cheeks and then her lips and soon they are warm and dry. His cock is heavy and hard between them, and she runs her fingers up and down the shaft, making him shiver in anticipation. 

“Marcus, make love to me,” she whispers, and there it is, that word again, but he doesn’t seem to mind, just kisses her even harder.

He moves onto his back, and pulls her on top of him, being careful to keep her covered with the rug. She straddles him but stays low against his chest, and he uses his hands to open her from behind and push gently inside her. 

She lets out a gasp as he slides all the way in, and then begins to move gently in and out, keeping his movements to a minimum so that as far as anyone could see they are just kissing on the beach with a rug over them. Nobody could possibly guess that under the rug his cock is buried deep inside her making them both dizzy with pleasure. 

She rocks gently too and they stay like that for a while, the minimal movement means that their orgasms are a long time coming but they are just enjoying being together, bringing each other pleasure. She comes first, the position is perfect for his cock to stimulate her g-spot, and she shudders and gasps against his cheek as her orgasm ripples through her.

He grinds his cock inside her, trying to get maximum stimulation with minimal movement. 

“Are you close?” she whispers.

“It’s wonderful like this, but I need to move a bit more to come.”

She lifts her head to look around. There’s no one in sight, so she lifts her hips so that his cock nearly slides out of her and then slams back down hard, loving the way his face relaxes into an expression of ecstasy. 

“Ah yes,” he moans. “So good. Don’t stop.” He grabs her ass to help her, thrusting upwards into her as she comes down hard, and it only takes a few more times until he gives one final thrust and then stills as he empties himself into her, and it’s so wonderfully erotic that she comes again too, pulsing gently around him as her sighs mingle with his soft groans.

Afterwards he buries his face in her hair, and she feels him shaking with laughter. “Oh God. What have we done? We could be arrested for this. I’m a lawyer, I should know better.”

“It’s your own fault,” she says between giggles. “If your cock hadn’t been such a goddamned wimp...”

“It’s not my fault, it was freezing!”

She lifts her head to look down at him, her hair falling around her face onto his. “Freezing. Right. It’s practically the North Pole.”

“You are incorrigible.”

“I’m what?”

“Incorrigible. You just take your pleasure and then mock my poor cock for feeling a bit chilly…”

“I thought you said it was freezing? Just now you said it was freezing. Now you’re saying it was a bit chilly, which is  _ not _ the same -“

With a growl he flips her over so that he’s on top, pinning her down with his weight and stilling the words on her lips. “You know, you’re hot but you talk  _ way  _ too much.” 

She grins at him cheekily, refusing to be quelled by his strength. “I’m just saying that there are several degrees difference -“

He silences her in the only way he can, with his mouth on hers, but of course she doesn’t mind in the slightest, and her eyes flutter closed as she surrenders to the pleasure of his lips against hers. He releases her arm to cup her face and she takes advantage to wrap her arms tightly around him, holding him where she wants him so that she can deepen the kiss. 

He’s reluctant to pull away, his mouth doesn’t want to leave hers and keeps coming back again and again to kiss and suck gently on her lips as his thumb strokes her cheek and she lies there and lets him, not wanting this moment to end. When no more kisses are forthcoming she opens her eyes to meet his and he’s gazing at her with such veneration it takes her breath away.

“Don’t leave,” he says thickly and her stomach flips, because she  _ has  _ to, her career depends on it, but her heart is breaking.

“I have to,” she whispers, trailing her finger down his cheek. “But if this is meant to be, we’ll find a way. We have to have hope.”

“I don’t know if hope is enough,” he says, gathering her in his arms like he never wants to let her go. 

“Hope is  _ everything _ ,” she says, and she can feel him smiling into her hair.

  
  



	16. Timeline 5 pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Marcus and Abby are getting cold feet about their date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Callie is playing cupid but Marcus and Abby are reluctant to cooperate. (See Chapters 5 and 11).

“I’m not sure this is a good idea after all.”

“Abby…”

“I don’t know, Cal. What if it all goes wrong?” Abby switched her phone to her other hand to resume painting her toenails in preparation for her date with Marcus. It had been the act of painting her toenails, the thought that he might see them because they might end up in bed together, that had brought about this latest bout of panic. Even though she had _no intention_ of sleeping with him on the first date, of course. None whatsoever.

“Abby. It’s dinner. If it goes well, next time you go to see a movie. Or a concert. You have fun, and you come home. Believe me, he doesn’t want anything serious either.”

“He doesn’t?”

“He had a bad break up last year. I don’t know what happened between him and his ex, but if I ever get my hands on that bitch…”

She didn’t need to finish, because anyway Abby knew that Callie wouldn’t do anything, it was just an expression of distaste for the woman who had broken her friend’s heart. In reality Callie was more likely to sit them both down with a cup of tea and help them to work through their problems, because that was the kind of person she was. 

So Marcus had had his heart broken. This was news to Abby, and while it was comforting to know he wasn’t looking for anything serious either, her guard immediately went up at the idea of getting involved with a man who was still hurting over someone else. What if she came back into his life? What if he was still pining for her, and no other woman could measure up? It was another complication, in her eyes. She didn’t want to get caught in the rebound and end up with her own heart shattered. “I don’t know what to make of that,” she admitted, and Callie sighed in exasperation.

“You don’t make anything of it, Abby. You go out tonight, and meet him, and form your own opinion. And don’t think too much! Even if you just become friends, that’s still a plus, right? He’s a sweet guy. Trust me.”

“Okay. Okay. I wish we could just meet in a “friends” setting, though. You know, like with other people.”

“Yeah, that might have been better.” Callie was silent for a moment, reflecting on her mistake. “But Jake and I are in London for the next two weeks, and if we leave it till we come back, you’re just going to bottle out even more. I know you.”

“Hmmm.” Abby couldn’t disagree with her friend. 

“So you’ll go tonight?”

“Okay. Like you said, it can’t hurt. And anyway, Clarke’s sleeping at Raven’s. What else am I going to do all alone?”

“Exactly. That’s my girl. You've got this."

Abby smiled, instantly cheered up. Callie always had a way of lifting her spirits and her confidence, it was one of the things Abby loved about her. “What time are you and Jake leaving?” 

“Flight’s at six. Actually, gotta run. I still have a million things to do. Have fun, sweetheart. And try not to compare him to Buzz.”

Abby rolled her eyes and laughed. “Have a good trip. Let me know when you get there.”

“Thanks, I will. Love you! And remember eight pm at the Emerald Dragon or whatever it’s called. You know, where we went for my birthday.”

When Callie had hung up, Abby pulled up the photo of Marcus Kane she’d got Callie to send her. Her stomach did a little flip when his face appeared on the screen, as it had done every time she’d looked at it over the past week. His smile was incredibly soft but where previously she’d seen tenderness in his eyes she now saw a trace of weariness, as if he’d been sad for a long time and the sadness was now just as much a part of his handsome features as the scar on his lip or the curl on his forehead. 

  
  


…………............

  
  


“Callie, I’m going to have to cancel tonight. I’m really sorry.”

The text message came through on Callie’s phone while she and Jake were driving to the airport, and she tutted in disbelief. “He has to be kidding me.” She immediately dialled Marcus’s number, willing him to pick up, but the phone rang for at least a minute before he finally did. 

“Marcus, you have to be kidding me.” These two were unbelievable, although of course she wasn't going to mention that she’d spent half an hour on the phone that morning trying to convince Abby to go through with it. It was just a  _ date _ , for heaven’s sake. Really, she was beginning to think these two dorks didn’t deserve to find happiness. 

“I’m sorry Callie, but I’m sick. And I don’t want to make Abby sick too.”

“What’s wrong with you?” she demanded with a complete lack of social decorum. Unless he was a death’s door he was damn well going on this date tonight if she had to drag him there herself. Well, she’d have to get someone else to drag him, since she’d be flying to London. She began mentally enlisting possible mutual friends for help. Indra might be the best option. Marcus had a lot of respect for her and she wouldn’t take any shit from him. 

“I think I have a cold coming on. My throat is scratchy.”

“Scratchy?”

“Yes, you know. It’s a bit irritated.”

“Do you have a fever?”

“Well, no. But I sneezed four times in a row. I’m sure I’ll have a fever by this evening.”

“Marcus… “ her voice was gentle, because she really did understand his fears, and if it weren’t for the fact that she was convinced Abby was  _ perfect  _ for him she wouldn’t insist. “Why do I get the feeling you’re just trying to get out of this date?” She glanced at her husband in the driver’s seat. Jake was nodding in silent agreement.

“I’m not, honestly…” he trailed off. 

“Marcus, listen to me. You take an aspirin, and gargle with some vinegar. And then you get your ass to Chinatown to meet Abby. Believe me, you are going to have a great time.” She frowned as a thought occurred to her. “Just maybe try to hold off from kissing her if you really do have a sore throat. Although personally, I don’t think you’ll be able to.”

He tried one last protest. “I don’t think I have any aspirin…”

“Okay,” she said, rubbing her forehead in frustration. “I’ll get Indra to bring you some, and then she can report to me how sick you really are.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” he said quickly, and she smiled to herself. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand up to Indra. The woman was formidable when she was on the warpath. “I guess I can go to the pharmacy around the corner.”

“Of course you can. Get a throat spray whilst you’re there too.”

A deep sigh came down the phone. “Okay. I guess you’re right. Sorry, it's just last minute nerves."

“Marcus, if you don’t go tonight, it could be the biggest mistake of your life. GO. You’ll have fun, and who knows, you might even meet the woman of your dreams. And if you need anything, call Indra. I’ll be boarding my plane soon.” She ended the call and switched her phone off. “There,” she said smugly to Jake. “Now he’ll have to go. He wouldn’t dream of standing her up, he’s much too much of a gentleman.”

“You’re very… resourceful,” Jake said with a grin. 

“I know,” she said. “That’s why you love me, isn’t it?”

He reached over and squeezed her leg affectionately. “I’m pretty sure that if anyone can make those two idiots fall in love with each other, you can.”

She chuckled affectionately, covering his hand with hers and threading their fingers together. “I hope so. They certainly won’t get there on their own.” 

  
  
  



	17. Timeline 6 pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Octavia's rivalry brings Marcus and Abby together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on timeline 6: Abby is desperate to keep her crush on one of the soccer Dads a secret.

The weeks pass, and Abby begins to feel more and more comfortable. The other moms on the team are actually friendlier than she’d imagined, and nobody seems to have noticed her feelings for Marcus, either because they’re genuinely not interested, or because she is doing an excellent job at hiding them. She’s slipped into a routine on match days; she heads to the cafe early to grab her coffee, and then immediately sits with whoever is already there, striking up a conversation, so that when Marcus arrives he sits at the other end of the table, with no chance for them to exchange more than perfunctory pleasant greetings. 

Of course, from the moment he walks in the door he’s all she can think about, and she has to concentrate hard on what the woman she’s talking to is saying. He’s like the sun, warming the blood in her veins, too bright to look at without losing herself completely. She follows Callie’s advice, staying aloof but pleasant, and she ignores the slight confusion she sees in his eyes at times because if she starts to wonder what it means she’ll fall apart.

After the match there’s just time for a quick congratulatory or commiseratory exchange before she and Clarke leave. She’s becoming an expert at swanning off. Callie would be proud.

October becomes November, and the weather gets colder, too cold for the girls to play soccer outside, which means the matches are held in the school gym. It’s not as much fun, and because the pitch is smaller they play seven aside instead of eleven, and substitute players more frequently during the match to give everyone a turn. The rivalry between Clarke and Octavia increases, as they both vie not to be substituted by proving themselves indispensable, to the point that the tension between them is causing a rift in the team.

Abby is grateful that Clarke and Octavia aren’t the best of friends but this tension is not helping things any, because people are beginning to look to her and Marcus to solve the problem.  _ Together.  _ And anything that involves her and Marcus’s names in the same sentence gives Abby panic attacks.

Things come to a head one Saturday in late November, when the coach, finally tiring of the two girls’ constant jibing at each other, substitutes both of them to give two new players a chance to show what they can do. The other team is weak, and it’s a risk she’s prepared to take to teach Clarke and Octavia a lesson once and for all. 

The girls sit on the bench, glaring at each other, and Abby can see from Clarke’s back that she’s livid. She glances at Marcus, who is also wearing a concerned expression. Like Abby, he has no illusions that his daughter is a saint, and is clearly worrying about this development. He meets her eyes and raises his eyebrows in apprehension, and she smiles reassuringly and turns her attention back to the two perpetrators, hoping that the situation doesn’t deteriorate further. However, the girls sit in stony silence, and the match finishes in a two-one win despite the two inexperienced midfielders.

After the match, coach Kara asks to speak to Abby and Marcus, and she nods reluctantly and follows them out into the corridor. 

“I’m at the end of my tether,” Kara says, looking from one to the other. “If they can’t get on, the whole team is going to suffer. We could have scored more goals today if they’d stayed on, which might be important if it comes to goal difference. But I cannot have my two star players constantly at each others’ throats. This is a team sport, and if they don’t make an effort to work together I’ll be forced to play only one of them at a time. And that would be a shame.”

“I understand,” Abby says at once. “I’ll talk to Clarke, try to get her to see sense. She’s not usually like this. I think it’s just - she was the best player by a long way on her last team. It’s difficult to accept there’s somebody just as good, if not better -” she smiles briefly at Marcus, “on this team. I’m sincerely sorry.”

Coach Kara relents a little. “I’m sure it’s hard. And they both have incredibly strong personalities. But this is exactly what team sports are for. They need to overcome their personal differences, and work together.”

“Octavia needs taking down a peg or two,” says Marcus. “I’m so sorry, Abby. This isn’t the way to welcome new players.” He looks genuinely pained, and she feels bad for him. 

“I'm sure it’s half a dozen of one, and six of the other,” she says, and Kara nods in agreement.

“I don’t want to cast the blame on one or the other,” she iterates quickly. “But maybe you could take them to do something together. Maybe, in a different setting, they might get on.”

Abby’s stomach lurches at the coach’s suggestion. Do something together? Her and Marcus and the girls? No no no no no. How is that going to look? She casts an alarmed glance at Marcus, who seems completely unfazed and is nodding thoughtfully.

“I was going to take Octavia to the movies this afternoon,” he says hesitantly. “Maybe - I mean - if you’re not busy, maybe you and Clarke would like to join us?”

Abby looks from one to the other. They are both wearing identical hopeful expressions, and she feels backed into a corner. How can she say no, without making it look like she’s not doing everything she can to solve the problem? But how can she go to the movies with Marcus, without making it look like she’s trying to jump into bed with him? This is going to look  _ terrible,  _ and she mentally curses Clarke for putting her in this position. She’s aware that she’s stalling, and they are waiting for an answer. It’s just the movies, she tells herself. They can sit with the girls between them, and they hardly even need to talk. It’s not the end of the world.

“Okay,” she agrees reluctantly. “That might work. But might I suggest we “bump” into each other there? I’m not sure Clarke will agree to go otherwise.”

“Sure,” he says. “Octavia would be the same. We could accidentally meet outside at two?”

“Okay.” That suits Abby perfectly, because it also means nobody here has to know, and they can always pretend they really  _ did _ just bump into each other. 

“Great,” smiles Kara. “Thanks for your cooperation. And good luck.” She walks through the door, back into the gym, leaving Abby and Marcus alone in the corridor, and an awkward silence settles between them. He looks like he wants to say something but she can’t stay here talking to him, just the two of them alone in a deserted corridor. 

“We’ll see you there at two, then,” she breezes, flashing him an overly-enthusiastic smile, then turns and heads towards the door Kara has just disappeared through, trying to ignore the feeling of his eyes boring into her back. Her stomach fills with dread at the afternoon ahead of her, and she wonders if there is some way she can get out of it, but the only way she can see is to just not turn up and somehow she can’t quite bring herself to do that. 

Clarke is in an apathetic mood after the match and agrees sullenly to go to the movies although Abby can see her heart’s not in it. She’s still sulking when they wait in line to buy tickets no matter how much Abby tries to rouse her with chatter about the movie, which is Star Wars episode XXIV in 4D, and one they’ve been looking forward to seeing for a while now. 

She’s beginning to wonder where exactly she’s going to bump into Marcus and Octavia, since they hadn’t been outside and Abby had had no reason to keep Clarke hanging around in the cold. She’s just beginning to hope that they might have actually missed each other when she hears a surprised voice behind them. 

“Well, look who’s here! Octavia, look, it’s Clarke and her mom!”

Abby cringes inwardly at his acting, but turns in equal surprise, plastering a fake smile onto her face. 

“Oh! Hi! Are you here to watch Star Wars too?” 

The eager smiles of the two adults are met with blank stares from the two teenagers. 

“Great,” mutters Clarke. “Mom, you know what, let’s just go home.”

Octavia rolls her eyes and glares at Marcus. “This wasn’t planned at  _ all,  _ was it?”

Abby feels panic welling in her chest. This was a mistake, the kids aren’t stupid and there’s no way they are going to fall for a trick like this. She glances at Marcus, but he just blinks innocently. 

“Of course it wasn’t planned,” he says. “I know you and Clarke don’t get on. Why would we do that?”

Octavia sighs and folds her arms, clearly not convinced. Clarke does the same, and Abby is just about to make her apologies and leave when it’s their turn at the ticket window and Marcus says, “Four tickets to Star Wars, please.”

Octavia splutters and Abby ignores Clarke’s tutting as she rummages in her bag for her purse to pay for her and Clarke’s tickets. Marcus takes the money - she’s grateful he doesn’t insist on paying, because that would be weird - and when the girls aren’t looking he gives her a conspiratorial wink and smile that makes her knees go weak. Once in the theatre they find their seats and sit strategically, Clarke on one end and Abby between her and Octavia, while Marcus takes the seat on Octavia’s other side. Abby is relieved; she doesn’t think her heart would be able to stand two and a half hours of sitting in such proximity to Marcus. 

Fate isn’t on her side, though, because when Clarke switches on her seat to try the 4D effects, it just shakes once and then stops, and Clarke’s disgust at the whole afternoon is reaching boiling point. Unluckily for Abby, Marcus comes to the rescue. 

“Here, change places with me,” he offers at once. “I don’t care about the 4D effects.” 

Clarke accepts at once, and Abby is happy that she’s agreed to sit next to Octavia but of course it now means that Marcus is next to her and her pulse starts to race. He smells wonderful and she’s worried she might start visibly swooning so she just grips the armrests and concentrates hard on the screen, which is showing a trailer for a movie about a group of teenagers trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world and looks absolutely horrendous. 

“That was a good move,” Marcus murmurs in her ear, and his deep voice sends shivers rippling over her skin. “Now that they’re sitting next to each other, they might start talking about the movie.”

Abby nods mutely and tries to meet his eyes but he’s sitting so close to her that if she turns her head their faces will be inches apart and she’s terrified she might actually end up kissing him. She swallows and tries to ignore the warmth spreading through her where his arm is touching hers because he’s leaned closer to her. She’s thankful he has no idea of the effect he’s having on her by invading her personal space like this but at the same time she’s mad at him for having no idea of the effect he’s having on her by invading her personal space like this. The man is oblivious and it’s both endearing and frustrating.

The movie starts and Abby is lost. She loves Star Wars; the lightsaber battles, the music, the themes of light and dark. She’s so engrossed that she almost doesn’t notice that Clarke and Octavia are muttering to each other under their breaths, and she nearly manages to forget about the man next to her stroking his beard absently, his right ankle resting on his left knee as his dark eyes watch the action unfolding on the screen. 

When the movie finishes Abby has tears in her eyes, the ending was thrilling and moving and has left her emotional. Marcus notices immediately and his smile is soft, too soft, as he says, "Hey, you okay?" 

She can't answer him so she merely nods more cheerfully than she feels and leans forward to ask the girls if they’ve enjoyed it too. She's astonished to be met by two identical bored expressions. 

“You didn’t like it?” Marcus is as surprised as she is. 

“The plot was  _ so _ forced,” says Clarke, and Octavia nods in agreement. “So unrealistic.”

Abby wonders when on earth Star Wars has  _ ever  _ been realistic. Marcus clearly agrees with her, because his eyes eyes crease in confusion and he says, “Surely that’s the point?”

The girls both roll their eyes dramatically. 

“We’re not talking about the spaceships and stuff, Marcus,” says Octavia. “But the character development was non-existent.”

“Oh,” say Abby and Marcus together, nodding sagely as if they  _ totally  _ understand what she means. They stand to leave the theatre, as people in their row are beginning to tut impatiently to get out. Out in the lobby, Clarke picks up the critique. 

“Call that a redemption arc?” she snorts. “One good deed doesn’t mean redemption.”

“Right!” says Octavia, shaking her head in disbelief. “And there was no chemistry at  _ all  _ between the actors. What were they thinking when they cast them?”

“Well, I enjoyed it.” Abby senses that the girls are bonding over their disdain of the movie, and she wants to encourage it as much as possible. 

“So did I,” rejoins Marcus. “It was fun.”

Clarke and Octavia catch each other’s eye, and a giggle escapes them both. 

“Oldies,” whispers Octavia, rolling her eyes again and Clarke giggles harder.

“Well,” says Marcus crossly. “That’s the last time we let these two watch a movie together, if that’s how they treat us.”

“Absolutely,” agrees Abby. “The lack of respect is astounding.” She glares at Clarke, who immediately turns to Octavia.

“Hey, I don’t suppose you’d like to come round tomorrow? We could watch episode XXIII.  _ That  _ one had a decent plot at least.”

“Sure!” Octavia looks at Marcus. “Can I, Marcus?”

“Well, I don’t know…” Marcus rubs his chin thoughtfully but his beautiful eyes are twinkling. “I guess you should ask Abby if that’s okay.”

Two hopeful faces turn to her. “It’s fine,” she laughs, and it is, but she struggles to keep the smile on her face when Marcus’s eyes meet hers in silent celebration. Inside she’s in a turmoil because yes, it’s great that the girls have made friends, and coach Kara is going to be over the moon that her two star players are truly on the same team at last, but it seems that Marcus now considers  _ her  _ a friend too, and she doesn’t know if she  _ can _ be friends with this man she falls a little bit more in love with every time she sees him.

  
  



	18. Timeline 1 pt 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby and Clarke spend the day at home after the mishaps of the previous day, and an unexpected parcel cheers Clarke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in Timeline 1: Marcus took Abby and Clarke to the hospital and the police station, and they had dinner while they waited for Callie. (See chapters 1, 7 and 13.)

They had a rough night. Clarke woke up more or less every hour, whimpering in her sleep and calling for Abby, so that in the end Abby carried her to her own bed and managed to get her to sleep for a couple of hours more by cuddling her and singing the lullaby that Jake had used to sing to Clarke when she was tiny. He’d invented it the spring when Clarke was two and she’d had bronchitis, and Jake had sat up with her for hours during the night so that Abby could get some sleep. The next day he had let Clarke paint red spots all over his face with face paints so that he would be poorly like her. Abby smiled as she remembered how once Clarke was asleep he’d sneaked up on Abby and drawn red spots all over her face too while she’d shrieked with laughter and tried to escape, and then their laughter had turned into kisses which had turned into...

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and took a deep breath, forcing herself to think of more practical issues. Her thoughts turned to the day before.  _ What a day.  _ She wondered where her bag was, and anger surged through her at the lowlife who’d taken advantage of a child being hurt to inflict further pain. Marcus had been a godsend, and his kindness warmed her heart. Yesterday fate had really given her the best and worst of humanity in one afternoon, she thought as she finally drifted off next to her daughter.

The next day Clarke was fretful and clingy, and the combination of tiredness and pain in her arm meant that the morning was dedicated to snuggling on the couch watching cartoons. Just before lunch Abby opened her laptop to call Jake, conscious of the fact that he had a right to know that his daughter had hurt herself, although if she was honest she wanted to see how he was. She still cared about him, even though she didn’t see they had a future together. She felt a pit of sadness open up inside her as the face she’d once loved so dearly came into view on the screen, his hair tousled and his blue eyes soft but tired. He looked like he hadn’t slept since they’d spoken two days ago. He was surprised by her call, and she could see first hope and then sadness flicker across his features.

“Abby! Is everything okay?” 

“I’m just calling to let you know Clarke fractured her arm. She fell in the park yesterday.” She turned to lift Clarke onto her lap. “Show daddy your arm, Clarke,” she said, and Clarke lifted the orange cast to wave it proudly at Jake. 

“Oh sweetheart. I’m so sorry. Did it hurt a lot?” 

“Yeah,” said Clarke. “But I just cried a little bit.”

“That’s okay. You’re allowed to cry when you hurt yourself. Does it hurt now?” 

“A bit,” mumbled Clarke. “Can I go and watch tv?”

“Sure,” said Jake, although Abby could see the disappointment in his eyes that Clarke didn’t want to talk to him. Clarke scrambled down and was soon lost in her favourite cartoon, and Abby moved into the kitchen so that she wouldn’t hear them.

“She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Jake…” 

“It’s okay,” he said quickly. “I know I don’t deserve it.” 

Abby was silent. She’d said everything she had to say on the subject two days ago, when she’d told him she was filing for divorce. She knew it must have been difficult for him to realise how little he knew his daughter. 

“I want to apologise,” he went on, and she looked up at him in surprise. “For accusing you of having an affair. That wasn’t fair of me. I know you wouldn’t do that.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she shook her head. “I wouldn’t.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He was quiet for a moment, and she could see the conflicting emotions in his eyes. “About everything,” he said. “I’m sorry for not being the husband you deserve. I - I guess I never thought about how much you and Clarke needed me. I’ve been so selfish. If I could go back and change everything, I would. I will. Please, Abby, let me make this right.”

She blinked back the tears. “But you won't be happy here on the ground. You’ll just end up resenting us.” Working on Alpha had been his dream since he was a small boy, and she didn’t want their marriage to become a toxic breeding ground of repressed frustrations and grudges. That wouldn’t be a healthy environment for Clarke at all. Wasn’t it better to go their separate ways now, before love turned to hate, and respect turned to disdain?

“And you really think I’m going to be happy if I lose you and Clarke?” His voice was thick with emotion. “You‘re my world.”

The video call wasn’t going at all as she’d hoped, although she doesn’t really know what she was expecting. Did she think Jake was just going to tell he everything was fine? She couldn’t do this now, she was about to break down completely and she didn’t want to do that in front of Clarke. “Jake, let’s talk later.” Her voice was a strangled sob. “Clarke needs me now.” She could hear cries of “mommy,” emanating from the living room.

He heaved a sigh of frustration. “Okay. But can I ask you one thing? Don’t go to a lawyer yet, please. Give me a week.”

“Okay.” She nodded. It didn’t make a lot of difference, really, and if truth be told she needed a bit of time herself to get her head around her decision. They said goodbye and Abby sat and stared at the wall in front of her until Clarke’s cries became evermore insistent, and she got up to take her to the bathroom since Clarke couldn’t manage her clothes with one hand. 

Callie came around mid-afternoon, and Abby had never been so happy to see anyone in her life. She needed a hug, and she needed a breather from Clarke, who had clung constantly even when Abby was making them grilled cheese for lunch. Callie had brought home-made apple pie, Clarke’s favourite, so Abby left them both tucking into enormous slices and escaped to have a long, leisurely soak in the bath, taking advantage of Callie’s presence to pamper herself a little. She blow-dried her hair, freeing it from its usual ponytail, and dressed in her favourite jeans and soft beige cashmere sweater which made her eyes seem browner than ever and was deliciously soft against her skin. Feeling much better, she returned downstairs to find Callie and Clarke playing snakes and ladders, their empty apple pie plates on the table next to them. Clarke was in better spirits, her face alight with glee as Callie’s counter slid all the way back down a long green snake to the beginning. Callie looked up at her with a grin, and her eyes widened in surprise. 

“Wow! You got a hot date or something?” 

Abby flushed. “What? No, of course not.”

“What’s a hot date?” asked Clarke.

“It’s, well, it’s when two people go out together, to a restaurant or something,” said Callie, stroking her blonde curls. 

“Oh. Like mommy and Marcus yesterday.”

Callie’s eyes couldn’t go any wider. “Oh, really?”

Abby busied herself picking up the dirty plates. “Not really, Clarke. Marcus was just being kind while we waited for Callie’s train.” She took the plates into the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher, effectively closing the matter but when she stood up straight again Callie was watching her from the doorway, her arms folded and her lips pursed.

“So you went to dinner with that police officer who came to meet me in the station?”

“He took us for pizza, yes, because Clarke was hungry and it was late and I had no money.”

“That incredibly good-looking police officer who came to meet me in the station?”

“Was he? I didn’t notice,” lied Abby, but Callie just raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips even harder. “Callie, you know it wasn’t like that. He was just being kind because he felt bad, because it was kind of his fault Clarke broke her arm.”

“Hmmm.”

Abby rounded on her friend. “Callie, oh my God! Do you really think I’m looking to cheat on Jake? This week I made the most difficult decision of my life, to end my marriage.” She felt tears welling up. “I’d never want to hurt Jake more than I already am,” she whispered.

Callie crossed the kitchen to wrap her arms around her. “I know, I know,” she murmured apologetically. “I’m just teasing you. I’m sorry.”

She couldn’t hold back the tears then, and she cried out all the stress of the last two days in Callie’s arms. It was like a damn had burst, and once she started she couldn’t stop. She cried out her frustrations with her marriage, grieving for the future she and Jake would never have, for the promises they couldn’t keep, and for the dreams swallowed up by the distance. 

When she was done she dried her eyes, thankful that at least she hadn’t put any makeup on because it would have ended up all down her face and over Callie’s crisp white T-shirt. Callie squeezed her hand. 

“We’ll get through this,” she said, and Abby smiled gratefully. She knew that Callie would always be there for her, would always support her in whatever decisions she made. It had always been that way, ever since they’d met on the first day of junior high, when Callie had caught her eye across the classroom and Abby had made her way over to take the seat next to her, feeling in her gut that the pretty girl with the kind smile would be a good person to get to know. 

The moment was interrupted by the doorbell ringing, and Abby gave her eyes a last wipe and went to answer it. It was a delivery boy with a parcel for her, a big box about a foot and a half wide. 

“Delivery for Miss Clarke Griffin,” said the youth, handing her the box. Abby braced herself for the weight of it but it weighed nothing and it took her by surprise.

“Thanks,” said Abby, scribbling her signature on the touchscreen. She closed the door and took the box into the kitchen to Clarke. 

“Clarke! There’s a parcel for you! I wonder what it can be!”

Clarke squealed in excitement. “Open it, mommy!” 

“Wait, there’s a card. Here.” Abby ripped open the envelope and extracted the card, which had a simple glitter outline of a butterfly on the front. She opened it and her eyes fell on the scrawly writing inside, flicking immediately to the bottom to read the signature.  _ Marcus. _

“Clarke! It’s - it’s from Marcus.” She glanced at Callie. “I wonder what it is.”

“Open it!!!!” cried Clarke, beside herself with excitement. 

“Let’s read the card first,” intervened Callie, curiosity written all over her face, and Abby was suddenly overcome with shyness. 

“It says, ‘To Clarke, who draws the best butterflies even with a broken arm. Marcus.’” She felt a lump in her throat. This was so sweet and unexpected. 

“Mommy, open the box!”

Abby snapped back to reality and took a knife from the drawer to slit the sticky tape holding the box closed. Clarke lifted the flaps and her face lit up in glee as a butterfly helium balloon floated out of the box and up to the ceiling. 

“Oh wowwwwwww!” Clarke squealed happily, jumping to try to catch the string which dangled just out of reach. “It  _ flies,  _ mommy!!” 

“Clarke, be careful. Don’t jump around.” Abby took the string and pulled the balloon towards Clarke’s outstretched hand, and Clarke danced around happily with the silver sparkly butterfly balloon bobbing behind her, her face one huge smile of happiness. 

“That was really sweet of him,” said Callie.

“Yeah,” said Abby with a small smile. “It was. He’s a nice guy. He was great with Clarke. I should call him and say thank you.”

“I have his number on my phone, since you called me from his phone yesterday.”

“Oh, I, um, already have his number,” said Abby bashfully, and Callie shot her a knowing look. .

“Of course you do. Silly me.” She sucked her lip thoughtfully. “Abby, just - be careful, okay? Don’t do anything stupid. You’re pretty vulnerable at the moment, and he seems like exactly the kind of guy you would fall for. I know!“ she went on before Abby could protest again. “You have no intention of cheating on Jake, but that doesn’t mean to say you won’t get hurt yourself.”

Abby flushed, wishing her friend didn’t know her quite so well. “I won’t, don’t worry. But thanks for caring.”

“Always.”

………………………….. 

Later that evening, when Callie had left, Abby rummaged around in her coat pocket and found the card Marcus had given her the previous evening. She dialled his cell phone number from the landline in the living room, since she was still without a cell phone, and after a few rings he answered.

“Yes?” His voice was a bark down the line, and she was a little taken aback. 

“Hi, Marcus? It’s Abby. You know, Clarke’s mom, from yesterday -“

“Abby! Oh God, sorry, I thought it was work.” His tone was immediately regretful, and she smiled a little at his discomfort.

“Is this a bad time? I can call back later…”

“No no no, it’s fine. I’m glad of the distraction. How are you? How’s Clarke?” He seemed genuinely pleased to hear from her, and her heart lifted a little.

“She’s fine,” she said, purposely avoiding his first question. “She’s a little grizzly but she’s over the moon with her balloon. That’s why I’m calling, actually, to thank you. It was a really kind thought, and it cheered her up no end this afternoon.”

“It was a pleasure,” he said. “I’m glad she liked it. It can’t be fun having a broken arm at her age.”

“She’s usually so lively, always jumping around. Luckily she loves drawing, so she’ll be able to do plenty of that.”

“She’s very talented,” Marcus replied. “I’ve never seen a four-year-old draw like that. Well, I haven’t met many four-year-olds to be honest, but I’m guessing not many of them draw like that. Do they?”

Abby smiled. “Not really, no. She’s quite advanced for her age. Listen,” she said, changing the subject. I want to pay you back for the pizza last night -”

“Really, it doesn’t matter. Please, forget it.”

“I don’t really feel comfortable taking money from a stranger…”

He sighed. “Okay. How about you buy me a coffee next time we bump into each other, and we’ll call it quits?”

She laughed. “There are fifteen million people in New York, the chances of us bumping into each other are pretty slim.”

“Not if I tell you I usually stop in the coffee shop on the corner of fifty-ninth street and seventh avenue on Monday afternoons at about four.”

“Oh!” She wasn’t sure what to say. Did he actually  _ want  _ to see her again? She didn’t know how she felt about that. She’d just sworn to Jake she’d never cheat on him, yet going for a coffee with a hot NYPD cop seemed a little too - intimate for comfort.

He obviously realised why she was hesitating, because he immediately retracted his words. “I’m sorry, you’re married, that’s not really appropriate.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” she said quickly, feeling bad that she’d made him feel that he’d overstepped the mark. “If by any chance I’m passing that way on Monday, I’ll be sure to pop in. It’s only right that I pay you back.”

She could hear the smile in his voice as he said, “Great. I may see you on Monday, then.” 

She already knew she’d be there. 


	19. Timeline 2 pt 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby has a problem, and help comes from an unlikely source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 2: An assault victim brought Kane and Abby to cross paths at the hospital, and Kane is convinced the situation is more serious than it seems. (See chapters 2, 8 and 14.)

Thursday was quiet at work, so much so that she was able to take an afternoon coffee break, which was a rare occurrence. She took advantage of the break to phone Clarke, stirring her coffee as the phone rang. Clarke was studying at Raven’s that afternoon, and at seven they were going to watch Raven’s school basketball team play in the regional semifinals, and Abby would pick her up after work. She was never completely relaxed when Clarke was there because Raven’s mom had a fondness for the bottle, and Abby worried she’d do something stupid like set fire to the house because she’d forgotten she’d put the potatoes on to boil. Luckily Raven was a bright kid who had her head screwed on and was able to take care of her mom, although it made Abby’s heart ache that she should have to at such a young age. Clarke and Raven had been friends for years and Raven was like a second daughter to Abby.

Clarke answered on the tenth ring, when Abby was just about to give up. “Hi mom.”

“Hi Clarke. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. We’re watching a movie.”

“Don’t you have to study?”

She could almost hear Clarke rolling her eyes. “Mom, I can organise myself, you know. Please get off my back.”

“Clarke,” she began, and then stopped herself. Nothing good was going to come of arguing with Clarke over the phone, and things had been a little better between them the last few days. Maybe she just needed to have a bit more faith in her daughter. “Okay, I’m sorry. Enjoy the movie and say hi to Raven. I’ll see you after the match.”

“Bye mom,” said Clarke, hanging up before Abby could say another word. She put her phone on the table and stared at it sadly, wondering when she and Clarke would be able to have a conversation again without it ending like that. Clarke was growing up fast and it was just taking Abby a little longer to catch up with the idea that she was no longer a child. It wasn’t a conscious thing, she mused. Kids just didn’t realise how quickly they changed when they were growing up, and what had been acceptable parenting methods a couple of months ago were suddenly met with eyerolls and sighs. It was exhausting. 

“You look like you’re the one who could use a donut now,” said a male voice, and she looked up to see Kane standing in front of her, a mug of hot tea in his hand.

She gave a tired smile. “You know, I really could. Are there any left?”

“No.” He sat down opposite her, placing his cup on the table in front of him. “But they do have some soggy flan.”

“Ugh, no thanks,” she said with a grimace. “Coffee’s fine.” The bitterness suited her mood perfectly at the moment.

He eyed her keenly. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh yes, thanks. Just teenage daughter stuff.” She forced a smile onto her face. “Are you here to talk to Vincent again?”

“Yes. Can I?”

“Yes, he’s been much better today. But five minutes only.”

“Thanks. I’m going to try a different tactic today. Instead of questioning him, I’m going to tell him what we know - and what we think we know - and see if that makes him realise why he needs to help us. But all he needs to do is listen today.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said. “Just don’t distress him, okay?”

“Of course not.” His face was deadly serious and she trusted him not to make the same mistake he had the day before, although she wished he wouldn’t look at her quite so intensely. She lowered her eyes to her coffee again and was glad her phone pinged at that moment, giving her a distraction. She picked it up and her heart sank when she saw the message from Nia, the doctor who was supposed to be on the next shift. She'd fallen and broken her ankle and wondered if Abby could cover part of her shift.

“Oh - no,” she muttered to herself. She had to pick Clarke up at eight, she couldn't work late. 

“Is everything okay?” She had forgotten Kane was there, and she looked up at him with a frown. 

“Yes. No. They've asked me to work late but I have to pick Clarke up.” She pursed her lips. “I’ll have to ask her dad to get her.”

“Where is she?”

“At her friend’s house in New Jersey.” It was a three hour round trip for Jake from Long Island, he was not going to be pleased. 

Kane was silent for a moment. “Um, you know, I’m heading out that way after I’ve talked to Mr Vie. I have an appointment at six thirty. I can bring her back with me.”

She blinked at him. “Oh, no, you don’t have to do that. I'll manage.”

“Okay. Well the offer is there. I'll be here till after five anyway. Let me know, okay?”

“Thank you,” she said shyly, a little confused as to where this offer had come from. She was loathe to let him think she couldn’t deal with a problem like this on her own though. It was all part of being a single parent; she’d find a solution. She always did. 

He said nothing more, just gave her a small smile and got up and walked out the cafeteria, placing his empty cup on the trolley as he went. Abby picked up her phone again and dialled Jake’s number. When he didn’t answer she tried Callie, but her friend’s phone went straight to voicemail. Damn. She wrote a message on the chat group they used for making arrangements about Clarke and hoped they’d get back to her quickly. 

She had a meeting at four so she gulped down the rest of her coffee and rushed back to work. When she got out it was nearly five and her heart sank when she checked her phone and there was no reply from either Jake or Callie. She dialled Clarke’s number again. 

“I have to work late,” Abby explained when Clarke picked up with a sighed “hi mom.” “I’m trying to get hold of your dad to come pick you up. Do you know where he is today?”

“They’re in DC for a course, remember? Something about the new CO2 scrubbers on Alpha dad’s been developing.”

“Oh. Right.” Abby kicked herself. She’d known they were away this week. What the hell was she going to do? Her heart sank as she realised she was out of options.

“What time are you finishing?” Clarke asked.

“Not till ten at the earliest. And then it’s nearly an hour’s drive to come and get you.”

“I’ll ask Raven’s mom to drop me -“

“No,” Abby said firmly. She didn’t want Clarke getting in the car with a woman who had probably drunk the best part of a bottle of vodka by dinner time. “I’ll sort something out. Keep your phone on please so that I can contact you.”

“Okay, let me know, mom. I have to go, we’re going to the match soon.”

“Have fun honey. Stay safe.” She hung up with a deep sigh, and frowned as she caught sight of Kane chatting to a nurse. She felt a flash of annoyance as the young girl giggled and fluttered her eyelashes at him. Jesus, she was nearly young enough to be his daughter. Well maybe not, but still.

“Linda, don’t you have patients to see to?” she asked pointedly, and the young nurse nodded subduedly and excused herself. Kane approached Abby.

“She’s the daughter of a colleague,” he began but Abby cut him off. 

“It’s no concern of mine, Kane. The only thing I care about is that my patients are being looked after.”

“I know,” he said. “And I apologise for keeping her from her work.” He looked at the phone in her hand. “Did you sort out the problem with Clarke?”

“No. Her dad’s out of town.” She hated admitting that she was struggling. 

“Abby, let me get her. I have to go that way anyway.”

She stared at the wall behind him, chewing her lip. She really didn’t want to be indebted to him but she could see no other choice. And at least she trusted him to bring her daughter home safely.

“Okay,” she said at last. “That’s very kind of you.” 

“Tell me where she is and what time. And here,” he took his detective badge out of his jacket. “Send her a photo of this so she knows it’s me. She shouldn’t be getting in the car with just anybody.”

“Good idea.” She took a photo and sent it to Clarke, with the message “Detective Kane will pick you up. Here’s his badge so you recognise him.” She thought for a moment and then typed “Send me the name of the school where the match is just to be sure.”

Clarke’s message arrived promptly and Abby handed her phone to Kane so that he could read the name of the school for himself.

“Okay, I know it,” he said with a nod, but then his eyebrows shot up and he smirked as he handed the phone back to her. “Do you want me to bring her here?”

“Oh no, can you drop her off at home? She’ll be tired and it’s easier for you. You’ll literally drive right past our house.”

“Okay. I’ll call if there are any problems.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile “I really appreciate this.”

“Anytime,” he said warmly, and then headed off down the corridor. As he turned the corner she remembered his smirk and glanced down at her phone, and she groaned aloud as she read Clarke’s second message. 

“He’s cute btw. You should get his number.”

..............

  
  


She spent the rest of the evening in a state of conflict, torn between annoyance with herself that she’d had to accept Kane’s offer, and admit there were times she couldn’t cope alone, immense gratitude towards him for his help, and further annoyance at the thought that he clearly had a kind heart despite how much she wanted to dislike him. 

This last thought puzzled her the most and she wondered why she was so insistent on disliking him. He was always polite and respectful to her even if their jobs caused them to clash sometimes. Could it be that she had misjudged him? She wondered what he’d thought when he’d read Clarke’s message. He’d smirked, but had it been in embarrassment? Or arrogance? It was hard to tell, but she couldn’t deny she was curious. Had he ever thought of her that way? Was he thinking of her that way now? A tiny thrill shot through her at the thought.

_ No no no,  _ she rebuked herself. Don’t even go there. 

..............

She got home a little earlier than expected, just after ten. Clarke was in her room, her head bent over her books, but Abby refrained from criticising her for not studying at Raven’s, although that had been the reason for spending the afternoon together. She kissed her daughter’s blonde head and Clarke looked up at her, her blue eyes heavy with tiredness. 

“Did you have fun?” she asked and Clarke nodded. 

“The match was great. Raven’s team won, so they’re through to the finals.”

“And the trip home with detective Kane?”

She didn’t know why she was asking, or what she expected her daughter to tell her. 

“It was fine. He was waiting for me outside the school. I felt a bit like I was being arrested though.”

Abby laughed. “Oh no, he didn’t flash his badge at you, did he?”

“Yes. But we laughed about it. He’s really nice, we chatted all the way home.”

“You did?” The idea of Kane making small talk was alien to her. “What about?” She couldn’t help it, she was curious.

“Basketball mostly, and volleyball. He’s been a Knicks fan for years.”

“He has?” She looked sceptical. It was hard for her to imagine Kane doing anything except work. 

“Mom, he’s cute. You should get his number. I’m serious.”

“I - Clarke! For all you know he’s happily married.”

“He isn’t. I asked him.” She grinned. 

“Clarke! Oh God.” She rubbed her hand over her eyes. “I’m not interested in Marcus Kane, Clarke. We’ve had too many differences for me to ever not find him infuriating.”

“Sounds like UST to me.”

“UST?” Something told her she didn’t want to know what that was. 

“Unresolved sexual ten-“

“Goodnight, Clarke.” Abby turned and walked towards the door. “I’ll just send him a text to say thank you for bringing you home.” She was halfway down the corridor when she realised what she’d said, and Clarke was only a heartbeat behind her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself as she heard her daughter’s bedroom door fly open. 

“You mean you already  _ have  _ his number?!?” 

“Goodnight, Clarke,” she repeated as she slipped into her own room and closed the door behind her. 

Inside her room she flopped onto her bed, her heart racing. She couldn’t believe Clarke. Not only had Kane seen her “he’s cute” message, she’d also interrogated him about his private life.  _ Shit.  _ What else had she said? 

She picked up her phone and took his card from her purse, then saved his cell number in her contacts without thinking too much about  _ why  _ she was doing that. Then she opened her messages app and sent him a short but polite message. 

“Thank you again for bringing Clarke home. I really appreciate it. Abby.”

She was in dire need of a shower after her fourteen hour shift so she stripped off and headed into her en-suite. She stood under the hot water for far too long, letting the pounding spray wash away the stress of the day. When she got out she felt a little calmer about the whole situation. She had nothing to feel embarrassed about. Clarke was a sixteen year old girl with no filters, but Abby was a grown woman who had never given him any reason to think she was interested in him and Kane was a grown man who would be able to see that. She wasn’t interested in him, he wasn’t interested in her, and Clarke just had an over-active imagination. That’s all there was to it.

She fell asleep to this thought, trying to ignore the lingering sense of disappointment that he hadn’t answered her text. 

  
  
  
  



	20. Timeline 4 pt 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit happens, but sometimes it’s for a reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 4: After meeting at a college party, Abby and Marcus spent a wonderful weekend together (see chapters 4, 10 and 15).

In the days after she leaves he misses her like crazy. She fills his every waking thought, and at night he dreams of her, of her smile, her laughter, her kisses, the way she feels in his arms, the way he could lose himself in her eyes forever. She’s promised to come back to visit for the Fourth of July celebrations, just over a month away. He can hardly wait. 

He’s watching tv one evening, about two weeks before she’s due to visit, when his phone lights up with a text from her. He snatches it up eagerly, but what he reads makes his heart twist with disappointment. 

“Marcus. I’m so sorry, I’m not going to make the Fourth of July. I’m having a few problems, and just need a little time to sort things out. I’ll be in touch. Take care, Abby xxx.”

He calls her immediately, hoping she’s okay, wondering what sort of problem could prevent her from spending the weekend with him. He’s disappointed, of course, but his primary concern is for her wellbeing, and his heart aches at her having to deal with whatever it is all alone.

She doesn’t pick up, so he sends her a simple text, telling her he’s very sorry to hear that and that he hopes she’s okay. He sends her a few more messages over the next few days, keeping them simple and caring, but making no demands on her. If she needs time, he’ll give her time. He’ll wait for her forever if he has to. 

He tries to stay positive but with every day that passes with no word from her he loses a little more hope. A week later, he’s offered a one month research placement on Alpha Station . He doesn’t want to take it, because he wants to be there when she gets in touch again, but at the same time he’s going crazy here. Maybe the change will do him good, and when he gets back Abby will have resolved her problems. He sends her a message, since she’s not answering his calls, to tell her he has to go away for a month and he’ll be in touch when he’s back. 

On Alpha he’s part of a task force charged with researching and writing laws to ensure the survival of the human race in space should a nuclear war ever break out on Earth, which is both challenging and draining. They work long days, since there’s precious little to do in their free time anyway, and after a month he’s exhausted. It doesn’t help when half the team goes down with strep, and the rest of them are sent off to medical for inoculations. 

He’s sitting on one of the hard metal chairs in the badly lit corridor outside medical, trying not to have a panic attack about needles, when the doctor comes out to call him. 

It’s her. 

She’s in front of him, life-sized and breathing, and as beautiful as ever, her hair braided to one side and her eyes soft and brown and so, so mesmerising. They stare at each other for a moment, both too shocked to speak, and then he stands. 

“Abby!” He takes a step towards her, anxious to close the distance between them, thinking only of holding her in his arms again. He’s so happy to see her he can hardly speak, it’s like a dream come true and he wants to cry and laugh and kiss her till she’s breathless.

So his heart stands still when she takes a step backwards.

“What’s wrong?” He reaches out to stroke her face but she takes his hand before he can and, glancing warily around, she leads him quickly into an empty observation room. Once inside she locks the door and turns to him.

“Marcus… What are you doing here?”

“Abby… It’s so good to see you.” He can’t stop his face from breaking into a smile. “You never answered my calls, never called back. Are you okay? What happened?” He pauses, and a thought occurs to him, a memory from that weekend nearly six weeks ago. “What are you doing up here? You said you’d never come to live here.”

“I - oh God.“ She doesn’t go on, and the pieces begin to click into place in his head. There’s only one possible reason she would be on Alpha. 

“Oh.” His heart sinks, as realisation dawns on him. “You’re here with Jake, aren’t you? You got back together.” There’s a lead feeling in his stomach as he waits for her to reply.

“Marcus, I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t understand.” He reaches for her, wants desperately to hold her but she shakes her head and looks away.

“It’s complicated,” she begins and he scoffs.

“It wasn’t complicated when you spent the weekend in my bed.” He can hear the bitterness in his tone and he hates himself for it.

“Marcus, please, keep your voice down,” she pleads. 

He turns away, runs his hand through his hair, and when he turns back to her her eyes are shining with tears, but instead of melting his heart it sends a surge of anger through him, because this is all so  _ wrong. _

“Don’t do this,” he says, and he can hear the desperation in his voice. “We were great together, I can make you happy - “ He stops, aware that he’s begging. “I missed you.”

She brings her hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes and that’s when he sees it, the glistening stone on the fourth finger of her left hand, glinting at him like some shiny medal for a competition he’ll never win. He takes her hand and stares at the ring in disbelief.

“You’re  _ marrying _ him? Fuck, Abby!” His voice cracks and he drops her hand like it’s scalding hot.

“Marcus, I’m so sorry. I had no idea you were here.”

“I was waiting for you  _ down there,”  _ he says quietly. “I thought that weekend meant something to you too.” He huffs a bitter laugh. “I was so  _ stupid.”  _

“That weekend meant so much to me,” she said. “You have no idea how much. I tried to convince myself that for you it was just a weekend of sex -“

“It wasn’t! It was  _ never  _ just sex. You _ know _ that!” He leans heavily against the door behind her and she jumps slightly, but she brings her hand to his cheek and he rests his forehead against hers, his breath coming heavy and hard. “I fell for you so hard,” he whispers. “I thought I’d found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers and he turns away, walks away, needs to distance himself from her. He sits on the edge of a table and stares at the floor, trying to rein in his emotions.

“Why, Abby? Why did you leave my bed and rush straight back into the arms of your ex-boyfriend? You didn’t even give us a chance.”

She stares at him, her lips parted, her eyes full of sorrow, and it’s then he notices her hand on her belly, moving in tiny soothing circles on her abdomen. And another piece of the puzzle clicks into place.

“You’re pregnant.”

She doesn’t need to answer, her silence is all the confirmation he needs. He shakes his head, still staring at the floor.

“Is it mine? We didn’t use anything. It could be mine.” A tiny hope sparks inside him. If she’s pregnant with his child they could be together.

“It’s Jake’s, Marcus.”

“How do you know? It could be mine. I want a DNA test.”

“Because I was already eight weeks pregnant the week after our weekend together.”

_ Fuck.  _ “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I’m sorry.”

A silence settles between them, neither of them knows what to say, and he’s trying not to think about the fact that when he made love to her over and over she was already pregnant with another man’s child, their fate already sealed.

“I tried to contact you,” she says quietly. “Please believe me that I never wanted you to find out like this.” He doesn’t answer and she turns to the door. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I have patients waiting.”

“Do you love him?”

She freezes, then turns back to him. “I do love him. I told you that. I never lied to you, Marcus.” She swallows. ”And he loves me, and it might not be the red hot passion that you and I have, but it’s enough for us, and it’ll be enough to make a family for our daughter.”

He smiles sadly at her words. “Red hot passion, huh?” 

She crosses the room, and takes his hands in hers. “Marcus, what you and I had was incredible. It was pure fireworks, and I have never felt more alive, or more desired, or more reckless than I did that weekend. It was the best weekend of my life. But fate had other ideas, and I have to make my peace with that.” She takes his face in her hands, and he melts into her touch. 

“Abby…” 

She rests her forehead against his. “Marcus, please… Don’t make this any harder than it already is.” 

He squeezes his eyes closed, breathing in her scent, trying to impress it on his memory forever before she walks out of his life. Except she won’t be out of his life, because they’re living on a space station of two thousand people and he’s going to have to see her every day, watch her build her family with another man, know that every night she’s in another man’s bed, another man’s arms. 

“This wasn’t meant to be,” she says softly. “Another time, another place, maybe fate would’ve been on our side.”

She’s right, but to Marcus it feels like the end of the fucking world.

…………………..

One month later, the world really does end. 

War breaks out between the FUK and Europe, and it’s the FUK that launches the first nuclear missiles, one aimed at each of the capital cities of France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Europe retaliates, the superpowers of the USA and China intervene and within ten days the Earth is soaked in radiation, and there’s no hope of returning to the ground for the foreseeable future.

The only survivors are the inhabitants of thirteen space stations from thirteen different countries orbiting the Earth. Fewer than thirty thousand people, while more than ten billion perished in the war. Marcus counts his lucky stars that he’s alive, and he’s grateful that Abby is alive and safe, because no matter what, she’s still the most important thing in his life. 

It does mean, however, that he’s destined to spend the rest of his life living and working with Jake and Abby Griffin, and that seems like a fate worse than death at first. Abby takes to calling him Kane, which stings at first, but then he realises it’s for the best. The way she says Marcus makes him want to throw her on the nearest table and make love to her until neither of them can walk, and that’s not a good mindset to be in when her husband is standing next to her.

He wants to hate Jake Griffin but to his disgust he can’t. Jake is a good man, and he clearly loves Abby and makes her happy. They share a quiet intimacy which he’d find endearing if it didn’t hurt quite so much. Jake is mellow and likeable and he’s always pleasant with Marcus although Marcus suspects he wouldn’t be if he knew the way he felt about Abby, if he knew the way his wife haunted his dreams every night with her soft touches and gentle words and breathy sighs that leave him with an ache in his groin and in his heart.

Life on Alpha is hard after the apocalypse. There are no more resources from the ground, and the space station has to be self sufficient. He’s part of the council, tasked with implementing the laws regarding rationing, population control and a capital punishment system in order to ensure the survival of the human race. With limited medical supplies, sick people are floated, and every crime is treated as a capital crime, punishable by death, which goes against everything he’d believed in when he’d worked as a lawyer on earth. He hates it, but he steels himself and does what he has to do, because somebody has to.

Abby gets promoted to chief of medical, and she’s truly brilliant, not only talented but warm and compassionate and kind. He knows it’s maybe not even his place but he’s can’t help feeling proud of her, and the affection and respect the people of Alpha have for her. Little by little the pain of losing her lessens, and she eventually becomes an invaluable friend and fellow council member, keeping him from losing himself to the bleak quest for survival. She’s a light when times are dark, a constant reminder to them all that survival is nothing without humanity. 

He realises, with time, that this is the  _ only  _ way their story could ever have played out, that fate _had_ been on their side after all. If they’d stayed on earth together they’d both have died in the war. This may not be the future he’d hoped for with her but at least they are alive. She’s as fulfilled as can be hoped for in their world, she has a beautiful little girl and a loving husband and he’s happy for her, he truly is. And he - well, he has a purpose in life which is no small thing in a post-apocalyptic world. They estimate there will be at least four spacelocked generations who will be born and die in space before they can return to the ground. On the grand scale of things he considers himself lucky to have been born on Earth, to have known what it feels like to feel the sun on his face and the breeze in his hair, and above all to have made love to the most beautiful woman in the world on the beach in the moonlight.

  
  



	21. Timeline 5 pt 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby and Marcus head out for their date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Callie is playing cupid but Abby and Marcus are reluctant to cooperate. (See chapters 5, 11 and 16)

The nerves continued to churn in her tummy all day. Honestly, she thought to herself crossly. Anyone would think she had never been out with a man before. She’d been  _ married,  _ for heaven’s sake. She couldn’t be that useless at dating. It just seemed like a very long time ago, and she’d forgotten how to do it. What did people talk about? What happened if you didn’t have anything in common? If she didn’t get his jokes? Or worse, if he didn’t get  _ hers?  _

She was also beginning to regret not asking Callie to change the restaurant. Chinese food on a first date was a recipe for disaster, surely. She was already cringing at the idea of eating noodles with chopsticks in front of Marcus, her thoughts haunted by pieces of chicken flying across the table and peas which refused to be captured. 

She dried and straightened her hair, and sat in front of the mirror in her underwear to apply her makeup, humming along to the music on her favourite Spotify playlist. She’d chosen a simple beige shift dress to wear, feminine but not too sexy, and a light jacket because it was likely to be chilly later even though it was early June. 

It was a twenty minute cab trip, which seemed to last forever, and was made even longer when the driver stopped to yell at another cab driver who had cut him up at the lights. Abby glanced anxiously at her watch. She didn’t want to be late, and the cab meter was still running while the driver waved his arms and yelled obscenities across the street. She rolled her eyes and stared out of the window until the cab driver pulled away, still gesticulating at the other driver, who had swerved down a side street and out of sight. 

In the end the cab pulled up outside the restaurant at seven fifty-three, and Abby paid the cab driver by credit card, leaving minimum tip because of the yelling episode. Standing outside the restaurant, she took a deep breath and counted to three to calm the butterflies in her tummy, before walking shyly into the restaurant.

“I have a table booked in the name of Griffin,” Abby told the waiter, who promptly checked the list and led her to a table for two by the window. She took her seat facing the door, so that she would see him as soon as he came in. She hoped she’d recognise him. She studied the menu, trying to choose a dish without noodles or chicken or peas, which proved to be difficult, and finally ended up choosing one with all three. 

“Que sera, sera,” she thought to herself with a resigned internal shrug. 

  
\---------------

Marcus really couldn’t believe he was going through with this. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was so fond of Callie, and pretty terrified of Indra, he would have refused point blank. What was he thinking, going on a date with a beautiful woman like Abby? She was way out of his league, she looked like a goddamn film star or something. She was never going to be interested in him, but at this point he’d promised Callie, so he called a cab and made his way to Chinatown.

The traffic was nightmarishly heavy, His cab driver was crazy, dodging in and out of the traffic, cutting people up wherever he could to gain twenty feet, or skip the light. At one point he even incurred the wrath of a fellow cab driver, who leaned out of his window to yell obscenities across the street while behind them cars honked impatiently. Marcus rolled his eyes and stared out of the window. At this rate he was never going to get there anyway. He was relieved when his driver screeched away with a final irate gesture, swerving down a side street to make up time. 

In the end he managed to get to the restaurant with exactly seven minutes to spare. He went inside and asked for a table for two and was shown to a small table by the window overlooking the street. As he took his jacket off he looked around him, taking in the shabby decor, the wobbly tables, the dusty shelves, and wondered why on earth Callie had suggested this place for his first date with Abby. It wasn’t exactly the kind of restaurant that made a good impression. Maybe the food was wonderful. He hoped so, he was starving. 

  
  


\----------------

Abby glanced at her watch. Nine minutes past eight, and still no sign of him. This didn’t bode well, but she was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. The traffic had been nightmarish, he might have just been held up. She studied the menu again, trying not to look like she was waiting for anyone but instead just having a really hard time choosing her dish. 

Eight twenty-one. A sinking feeling crept through her veins. She looked around the restaurant warily, wondering if he was sitting at another table, looking at his watch and wondering where  _ she  _ was. But no, there were no single men in the restaurant except for a small man with a bald head and glasses, and he definitely wasn’t Marcus. Not unless the photo Callie had shown her had been severely photoshopped. He was sitting at the table where she and Callie had sat when they’d come for her birthday. That had been a fun night, she remembered with amusement. They’d gone dancing after, and Callie had lost a shoe.

At eight thirty the waiter approached her, tablet in hand, an optimistic expression on his face that she would finally place her order, but she gave him a dismissive smile and looked at her watch pointedly. 

“I’m waiting for someone,” she said, trying to ooze confidence. “He probably got held up, but he’ll be here any time now.”

The waiter nodded and left her, and she tried not to notice the sympathetic expression in his eyes which clearly said, “I’m so sorry you’ve been stood up.”

When eight forty-five arrived she gave in and ordered. He obviously wasn’t coming. She ate quickly, kicking herself for having agreed to this in the first place. See, this was  _ exactly  _ what she’d been afraid of. It just wasn’t worth it, and part of her was filled with relief that she’d had a lucky escape. Fuck Marcus Kane and his twinkling eyes and sexy smile that made her wet just thinking about it. Well that was fine. There was always Buzz. 

She finished her meal and paid, and was heading out of the Emerald Garden (Callie was useless with names, she thought with an inward roll of her eyes. Emerald  _ Dragon, _ for heaven’s sake!) to get a cab home with the intention of spending some much deserved alone time, when a hologramatic advert caught her eye. The new Star Wars movie, Star Wars XXIII was on at the new super screen IMAX movie theatre. She loved Star Wars, and at least it would mean her evening out hadn’t been completely wasted. She’d been to the cinema on her own in the past so she wasn’t fazed by that, and she hadn’t been to the new super screen cinema yet. It could be fun, she mused, setting off in the direction of the cinema. 

  
  


\--------------

When Abby still wasn’t there at half past eight, Marcus wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that he wasn’t going to have to have dinner with her in this awful place, or disappointed that he wouldn’t get to meet her after all. He was hungry, though, so he ordered a chicken and noodle dish, hoping it wouldn’t have too many peas which he struggled to pick up with chopsticks. It was averagely tasty but a little over-cooked, so he wolfed it down quickly, figuring that he could get home for the half past nine documentary on the colonisation of Mars he’d set his DVR to record. At nine o’clock he paid and left the dingy restaurant, vowing never to return to the Emerald Dragon again. What a dump. He’d have to have words with Callie about her taste in restaurants. 

He was about to catch a cab when an idea occurred to him. Forget the documentary, he could go and see the new Star Wars movie, episode XXIII, at the new IMAX super screen. He’d never been but he’d heard gushing reviews from colleagues who’d been blown away by the hundred and eighty degree screen. Yes, that’s what he would do. It would definitely make up for being stood up.

  
  


\--------------

When Abby got to the IMAX theatre she stood in line to buy her ticket, wondering if she still had room for popcorn. A small one maybe. A movie wasn’t a movie without popcorn. She watched as a mom with three boys tried to balance four tubs of popcorn while the boys carried drinks and other snacks. A disaster waiting to happen, she thought. At the window she was greeted by a familiar face, who gave her a warm smile. 

“Dr Griffin! How nice to see you,” said the geeky looking eighteen year old. “Do you remember me?” 

“Eric!” Of course she remembered him, his mom had been one of her patients until recently, when she’d sadly passed away from cancer. “How are you? You got a job here?” She handed over her card and Eric Jackson scanned it and handed it back to her. 

“Saving up to pay for med school,” he said. “Ever since mom, you know, died, all I’ve thought about is becoming a doctor.”

“That’s great,” said Abby warmly. “If there’s anything I can do, give me a call.”

“Thanks, Dr Griffin. That’s very kind of you.” He passed her her ticket. “Enjoy the movie.”

“Thanks Eric. Take care.” She turned towards the popcorn counter just in time to see the mom with three boys lose control of her popcorn, the whole lot ending up on the floor. Chaos broke out as the boys started yelling at each other so she decided to give the popcorn a miss and headed straight into the theatre to find her seat.

  
  


\--------------

Marcus entered the foyer of the cinema and stood in line to buy his ticket. The foyer was futuristic, all glass and shiny stainless steel, and hologramatic trailers of the movies were playing here and there. Over towards the popcorn stand, a mom with too many kids had just dropped her popcorn all over the floor, and the boys were yelling at each other. Much as he felt sorry for her, he hoped they weren’t here to see Star Wars. At the ticket window he was greeted by a familiar face, the son of one of his colleagues.

“Evening, Eric,” he said cheerfully, and the teenager gave him a mock salute. “Ticket for Star Wars, please.”

“Evening, Officer Kane. How are you?”

“I’m good thanks, Eric. You?”

“Yeah, I’m good, thanks. Enjoy the movie.” He handed Marcus his ticket and Marcus went to the popcorn counter to buy a small tub of popcorn. He wasn’t hungry after the mediocre Chinese food he’d just eaten but a movie wasn’t a movie without popcorn, was it?

\--------------

Abby slipped through the door into the theatre, glancing at her ticket to see her seat number. 

Ugh. Back row, seat twelve. She preferred to sit in the middle, especially since she was on her own. The theatre was nearly empty even though the movie was about to start so she chose a seat three rows down. She could always move if someone was supposed to be sitting there. She made herself comfortable and waited for the movie to begin.

\--------------

Marcus glanced at his ticket. Back row, seat thirteen. Ugh. He didn’t really like sitting at the back, but he was a man of the law to the last, and wouldn’t dream of breaking the rules, so once he was armed with his popcorn and coke he went into the theatre and took his seat in the back row. 

He had been a Star Wars fanatic for as long as he could remember, and he’d never tire of it, no matter how many movies they made. He was surprised the theatre was so empty, but he was happy to see he wasn’t the only person on his own. Further along there was a guy with a bald head and glasses, and a couple of rows in front there was a woman on her own too. The police officer in him was immediately on alert. There had been numerous cases of women being molested in movies theatres. He was half tempted to move closer, but that would also be intimidating for a single woman, so he stayed where he was, figuring he could keep a protective eye on her just as well from the back row. 

\--------------

Abby was satisfied with her decision. The movie was great, and she enjoyed it immensely. She’d seen all the previous movies several times each and seeing this new one in the super screen IMAX, where the screen was one hundred and eighty degrees around you, was an incredible experience. When it was over, she made her way out into the night, the music still playing in her head. She loved the music to Star Wars. Maybe she’d download the soundtrack. 

As she rode home in the back of the cab, her thoughts turned to Marcus. Why had he chickened out? Maybe he’d realised he wasn’t ready to move on from his ex yet, or maybe he’d had second thoughts about Abby. She was quite sure she wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Well, all she could say was she was thankful he’d found out before she’d met him and got attached. Before she’d got too far in, and got her heart broken. It was the first time she’d been stood up but hey, she wasn’t going to stress about it. Everything happened for a reason. 

  
  


\-------------

The movie was amazing - he knew it would be - and when it was over he stayed to watch the credits roll, enjoying the music till the last minute and making a mental note to download the soundtrack. Outside in the street he flagged down a cab and headed for home. All in all, he thought to himself as the taxi cruised through the streets of New York, it hadn’t been a bad evening. It wasn’t the first time he’d been stood up anyway, but it was absolutely the last time he was going to let Callie talk him into blind dates. Everything happens for a reason, he mused to himself.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this doesn't necessarily have to be the end of this story, because I'm sure when Callie comes back she'll have plenty to say about the mess these two dorks made (although it was absolutely her fault for getting the name of the restaurant wrong in the first place) but let's just say it is the end as far as These Times of Ours is concerned, in the sense that this wasn't how Marcus and Abby met in that universe. This is ultimately a story about how every tiny decision we make affects our whole lives, which is something that I find fascinating. 
> 
> However I am going to write happy endings to all these timelines and post them in another fic, because Kabby are just too cute and deserve to be happy in EVERY timeline.


	22. Timeline 6 pt 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby is trying to put Marcus out of her mind, but fate keeps throwing them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the movies solved the problem of the rivalry between Clarke and Octavia but did nothing to help Abby’s crush on Marcus. (See chapters 6, 12 and 17).

After the trip to the cinema Abby can’t get Marcus out of her head for days. He’s taken up residence there, smiling and stroking his beard in that way that is so infuriatingly adorable, just as he did in the cinema when they were watching Star Wars. The memory of him leaning with his right elbow on the armrest they shared, absolutely at ease in such close proximity to her, flashes through her mind at random moments during the day, sending waves of warmth through her which quickly transform into cold knots of guilt in her stomach. 

Damn him, she thinks in frustration as she sips her coffee and tries to read a magazine over breakfast one Saturday morning two weeks later while Clarke rushes around, throwing last minute items in her suitcase in preparation for a school ski weekend. He has this incredible way of crashing into your personal space, all floppy hair and dazzling smiles, and suddenly it’s like you’ve known each other for years. He’s relaxed and charming and personable and yet his familiarity is never improper, he never does anything which could be considered sleazy or incorrect. He’s just at ease with himself, and with the people around him. It’s clear to her that he likes her, and it drives her crazy, because it just makes him that much more addictive.

“Mom, where’s my grey sweater? I’m gonna need it, I only have my black hoodie.” 

Abby looks up from her magazine, peering at Clarke over her glasses. “It’s on your bed, Clarke, with the rest of the clothes I washed and ironed yesterday.”

Clarke grins. “Thanks mom. You’re the best!”

Abby rolls her eyes and turns back to her magazine, smiling into her coffee. Clarke’s excitement about the upcoming ski trip is a delight to witness, above all because it means she’s finally found her place at her new school, and is looking forward to the weekend away with her friends, and the thought of a long weekend away on the slopes is like a dream come true. They’re leaving this morning, and will be back late Monday night, and Clarke is like a jack-in-the-box with excitement.

An hour later Clarke drags her suitcase down the stairs, and Abby loads it into the trunk of the car, grimacing at the weight of it. She’s only going for two nights, but she seems to have packed enough for a month. It’s beginning to snow, and the effect is magical. They get in the car, and Abby turns the key, and nothing happens. She turns it again and still nothing happens. 

Clarke sets up a howl. “Moooommmm! What’s going on?”

“Clarke, don’t panic,” she says in exasperation. “I’m sure it’s something perfectly simple.”

It  _ is  _ something perfectly simple. The battery is flat, but knowing this is not going to help her get Clarke to the bus on time. She puts her face in her hands, wracking her brains for a solution. 

“We’ll call a cab,” she says. “Do you want to text somebody to let them know we’re on the way?”

“Okay.” Clarke pulls her phone out and starts texting on the group chat, her thumb flying over the keys at a speed that made Abby’s head spin. Abby googles the number for the local taxi firm and is just about to call when Clarke says “Wait mom! Octavia said Marcus will pick me up.”

“Oh.” Abby’s heart sinks. She has no desire for Marcus to see her in this helpless state, but the important thing is Clarke gets to the bus on time. “Okay.” She gets out of the car and gets Clarke’s suitcase out of the trunk, and five minutes later Marcus’s black SUV pulls up and Octavia jumps out and hugs Clarke excitedly. The two girls have become inseparable since the trip to the movies. 

Marcus gets out of the car to load Clarke’s suitcase into the trunk, and Abby returns his warm smile with a grateful one of her own.

“Thank you so much,” she says. “I really should get a new battery…”

“It’s probably just the cold. If you like I can come back after I’ve dropped the girls off and have a look.”

She tenses. “Oh, that won’t be necessary,” she says quickly. She doesn’t want him to rescue her, she’s perfectly capable of calling the mechanic. “You’re already doing enough.”

His eyes crease in the same confusion which is often visible in his interactions with her. “Abby, it’s really no problem,” he says. “I have to come past this way anyway.” There are snowflakes on his beard that she longs to brush away and she has to pocket her hands stop herself. She realises that she’s going to make more of a scene if she refuses again, so she just smiles and nods.

“Okay, that would be great, thank you.” This is exactly what she dreads though; being seen as the helpless single mom who can’t manage, and needs other women’s husbands because she doesn’t have one of her own. She might not have a husband but she has a mechanic and in reality she’s perfectly capable of solving this problem alone as long as Marcus gets Clarke to the bus on time. 

“Bye mom!” yells Clarke from the back of the car and Abby comes to her senses. Her daughter is leaving for the weekend and she needs to say goodbye. She leans in and hugs Clarke tightly. “Have fun, sweetie, and be careful. Call me tonight. I love you.” 

Marcus gets in the car too with a friendly “Be back in ten!” and then he’s gone, and she’s left standing in front of her car in the snow. She glares at it, cursing it for putting her in this position, and it occurs to her that a couple of weeks ago she was thinking the same thing about Clarke. The universe is conspiring against her, she thinks glumly, throwing her and Marcus together at every turn, but to what end? Nothing good can come of it. 

Marcus is back twenty minutes later, when she’s just beginning to think maybe he’s changed his mind and has better things to do on a Saturday morning than fix other people’s cars. She’s worried her hair into a mass of knots and she groans as she catches sight of herself in the hall mirror. At least no one can accuse her of making an effort for him, she thinks with a grimace. She looks like she’s just got out of bed. 

The battery shows no signs of life at all, and will need to be changed, but the snow is beginning to lay thick and heavy on the ground. Marcus tinkers with the engine and tries to start the car with jump leads from his own car but it’s no good.

“I think you might have left the internal light on,” he says with a grin. “For a couple of weeks.”

She rolls her eyes and shivers, wrapping her arms around herself. “That’s - not as unlikely as you’d think.”

His laughter is infectious and she giggles too, and for a moment their eyes meet in mirth but then she looks away quickly, shaking her head to herself. No flirting, she reminds herself. No. Flirting. 

“Come on, let’s go and buy a new one. You can’t be without a car.”

“Oh no, Marcus, really, I’ll just call the mechanic. I don’t want to trouble you, I’m sure you have more important things to do.” Her heart is racing but he’s already done too much and she’s not getting in his car with him to go and buy a battery. No no no. 

“I have time. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t.” He frowns. “You might want to get a coat though. It’s snowing.” 

Is it? She hasn’t noticed. She nods, realising once again that refusing is going to make more of an issue than just going with it. “Okay,” she agrees reluctantly. “Give me two minutes.” She hurries inside and rakes a brush through her hair. It’s still a mess though, so she grabs a soft grey hat with an enormous fluffy bobble and pulls it down over her ears before slipping her coat on and heading out of the door. 

Marcus’s eyes crinkle into a smile as his eyes come to rest on her hat but he says nothing and she climbs into the car next to him. She watches him out of the corner of her eye, admiring his perfect profile intent on navigating the snowy streets, and for a moment she lets herself dream that he’s hers, and they are going out for the day, maybe skiing or to visit relatives, with Clarke and Octavia in the back listening to music on their phones. She’d reach out to hold his hand, or place her hand on his thigh, and he’d glance over at her with a smirk full of promise for the coming night. Or maybe he’d be remembering the excellent sex they’d had that morning, before he’d brought her breakfast in bed. God, she can almost  _ feel _ the afterglow of the wonderful orgasm he’d given her…

“...breakfast?”

His voice breaks into her thoughts, wrenching her from her fantasy, and for a moment she’s terrified he can read her mind or that she’s accidentally said something aloud and she just blinks at him in confusion, her heart racing.

“I - sorry?”

“Have you had breakfast? I only had a quick coffee before I left, and I’m starving.”

“Oh, I had some cereal. Just a small bowl. And a coffee too.” She cringes, and her cheeks catch fire. She’s gabbling, and she struggles to regain control of herself and the conversation. 

“Cereal is no breakfast on a day like this,” he says with a grin. “We need pancakes, and bacon, and lots of coffee. Come on.”

Oh no no no. She can’t be seen having breakfast with him, dear God. “I - should get back,” she murmurs. “I have so much to do.” It’s a lie, of course. She has nothing to do all weekend, because her life is empty when Clarke isn’t here. Not that that bothers her, she’s happy spending time alone.

“Oh, okay.” He seems disappointed, but accepts her answer, and they continue straight towards the highway.

_ Oh Marcus, you have no idea,  _ she thinks,  _ how much I would love to sit in a cosy diner and have breakfast with you and chat over coffee and watch the snow falling outside.  _ She closes her eyes, hating the universe and everything in it, but a second later they fly open as a thought hits her. He’s doing all this for her, the least she should do is buy him a coffee to say thank you. She can’t be seen to be  _ ungrateful,  _ or to be  _ taking advantage  _ of him, because that would be even worse. She takes a deep breath.

“You know, half an hour more doesn’t make a lot of difference,” she admits. “But only if you let me pay. You know, to say thank you.”

“Great!” His face lights up and it warms her heart. “But you don’t have to pay, it was my idea…”

“Only if you let me pay,” she repeats firmly, and he nods and smiles. 

“Okay. If you insist. But only because I’m starving, and I may faint at the wheel if I don’t eat soon.”

She gives a little laugh. “We can’t have that. I’d never get my battery.”

He pulls off the road a few minutes later at a little diner she and Clarke had stopped at once a few months ago, when they’d been heading upstate to visit her parents. It’s a little outside the city, so hopefully they won’t run into anyone they know. Although, she thinks with a grimace, if by any chance they  _ do,  _ it’s going to be even more suspicious. She decides she’ll cross that bridge when she comes to -  _ if  _ she comes to it - and just enjoy breakfast with this incredibly handsome man without feeling guilty.

The diner is quiet but Abby glances around nervously, checking out the other customers to make sure there’s no one they know. It feels like we’re having a seedy  _ affair,  _ she thinks, and then groans as she realises that’s exactly what it’s going to look like if they are spotted. Marcus doesn’t seem worried, of course he doesn’t, because he has the clear conscience of a happily married man who’s simply helping out a friend. He’s oblivious to what people might think and maybe that’s because it would never enter his head that people might think he’d cheat on his wife with  _ her. _ His wife must be gorgeous, she reasons. Octavia is an attractive kid, and if Marcus isn’t her father then she doesn’t get her good looks from him. Of course a man like Marcus would only be with a drop-dead beautiful woman, not someone with tangles in her hair and shadows under her eyes. And oh  _ God _ , she’s going to have to take her hat off. She smoothes her hair down, avoiding his gaze by studying the menu.

“So, pancakes?” He’s like a kid in front of the Christmas tree, his eyes bright with anticipation and she can’t help smiling. They order pancakes with maple syrup and bacon and coffee and it’s unbelievable but her tummy is rumbling after all. The coffee arrives immediately, and he puts two sugars in his.

“Clarke and Octavia seem to be thick as thieves now, don’t they?” he says with a smile as he stirs his coffee.

“They do. That’s the power of Star Wars!” 

“Let the force be with them!” he says and she bursts into laughter at his misquote. He’s  _ adorable. _

“It’s  _ “May  _ the force be with them”, but good try!” 

“Oh! Yes, that’s right.” He chuckles good-naturedly and she turns her attention to her coffee because if not she’s going to lose herself in his smiley eyes. It’s scalding hot though so she puts it down again quickly and watches the snow falling out in the parking lot.

“Octavia told me you’re actually a surgeon. I didn’t know that.”

“Yes,” she says shyly. “But the hours are too long at the moment. I need to be home with Clarke, so working at the clinic suits me fine. I’d like to go back to it someday, though.” The food arrives and they fall on it hungrily. The bacon is crispy and delicious, the pancakes light and fluffy. 

“How many years have you been out of it?”

“Since my husband and I divorced, when Clarke was five.” She spears a piece of pancake, hoping he won’t probe. She doesn’t want to talk about the divorce, and luckily he seems to sense that. 

“Will you have to re-train?” 

“Probably, but I’m trying to stay up-to-date anyway. It’s such a fast-moving field.”

“Right. I can imagine.” He goes back to his food and she watches him for a moment, letting her eyes roam over the soft waves of his hair, her fingers itching to brush away the curl that flops onto his forehead.  _ Stop it, _ she tells herself. He’s going to catch you staring. She mops up the last of her maple syrup with the last piece of pancake and places her knife and fork on her plate, and changes the subject away from herself.

“How’s the job hunt going? Anything lined up?” She knows he’s recently left the police force, and is looking for something else.

His face brightens visibly. “A couple of things, yeah! I should have something within a couple of weeks.”

“That’s great. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.”

He looks at her for a long moment, and it looks like he’s going to say something, but in the end he just smiles and says “Thanks.”

She smiles back goofily, trying to think of something to say when her eye is caught by a tall dark woman coming through the door. Oh no.  _ Indra.  _ Her heart begins to race and sweat forms on the palms of her hands. Granted, Indra was the least prone to gossip of all the parents, so it could have been worse. But still. The other woman spots them immediately and makes her way over with a friendly smile.

“Marcus! Abby. Nice surprise.”

Marcus turns his head at her voice and his face breaks into a warm smile as he greets his friend. They shake hands, and Abby feels a tiny pang of jealousy at the easy friendship they share. She would  _ love _ to have that kind of friendship with Marcus. 

“Would you like to join us?” Abby asks, and the other woman nods in thanks and sits down next to Marcus. That’s positive, at least. If she thought they were on a date, she wouldn’t want to intrude, right?

“We’re just going to get Abby a new car battery. Her car died when she was taking Clarke to get the bus this morning,” Marcus explains, and she’s glad he’s explaining, although she’s not sure it doesn’t look worse.

“Only Marcus was going to faint with hunger if he didn’t have pancakes,” she adds with a smile and a little eye roll. 

“He always was dramatic.” Indra’s dead serious as she chides Marcus easily and Abby has to laugh at the expression on his face.

“I hadn’t eaten since eight pm yesterday!” he says indignantly, but the women just look at each other and laugh, and Abby begins to relax a little. Indra doesn’t seem fazed at all at finding them having breakfast together out of town on a Saturday morning. Maybe she’s been overreacting, worrying too much about other people’s opinions when in fact nobody is judging her. She sips her second cup of coffee as she listens to Marcus and Indra discussing the team Christmas party, and starts to let herself hope that maybe they can be friends without people gossiping after all. She’d love that, she really would.


	23. Timeline 1 pt 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby and Clarke meet Marcus for a coffee to repay him for the pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 1: Abby told Jake she wanted a divorce, and Marcus helped Abby and Clarke after a series of mishaps in the park. The next day a surprise parcel arrived for Clarke, and Abby talked to both Jake and Callie about her decision. (See chapters 1, 7, 13, and 18.)

Monday was grey and miserable, the clouds low over the skyscrapers and the sidewalks shining wet. Abby picked Clarke up from kindergarten and took her for a quick walk in the park to get some fresh air while the rain held off for half an hour, but the piles of coloured leaves Clarke had been gleefully running through just a few days before were now soggy patches of mulch. Abby dried off a swing with a tissue and pushed Clarke for five minutes, her mind on her upcoming appointment with Marcus at the coffee shop. 

Her stomach was churning with guilt, but she kept reassuring herself she was doing nothing wrong. She was just repaying him for the pizza - not even for his kindness. He’d bought them dinner and he was a stranger, who knew if he could really afford it? It wasn’t right to take money from people you didn’t know, and so she was going to give it back to him. 

And so what if she found him attractive? Being married didn’t mean you stopped finding people attractive. What’s important is not  _ acting  _ on the attraction. Attraction was a chemical reaction to another person, it wasn’t a voluntary act of betrayal. There’d always been actors she’d found attractive and she had never hidden that from Jake. This was no different. 

Except it was, a tiny voice said in her head. Because she was getting divorced, and would be free to act on any attractions she liked. The thought of being with another man filled her with terror and sadness though. She’d been with Jake for nearly eight years, and he had been her first true love. The man she’d lost her virginity to, who she trusted with her life, and who used to know her better than she knew herself.

When Clarke grew tired of the swing, they headed out of the park towards the coffee shop. They were a little early, so they had a quick look in the big toy shop a few doors down for a present for Clarke’s friend Harper, who was having a birthday party the following weekend. Clarke wasn’t in the least bit spoilt, and she usually enjoyed choosing gifts for her friends without thinking about herself, but today she immediately honed in on a police officer’s hat, her face alight with excitement.

“Mommy look! Like Marcus! Mommy please can I have it! I wanna be a police officer too!”

“Clarke… we’re supposed to be buying a present for Harper. You know when we buy gifts for other people, we don’t buy things for ourselves too.”

“But mommy pleeeease. It’s too cool! I love it!!”

“Clarke, no. Gift for Harper first, then I’ll see. Okay?”

Clarke knew better than to argue with her mom when she used that tone, so she meekly followed Abby to the Legos section, although her face was set in a scowl. Abby didn’t care, she wasn’t going to buy her daughter every toy Clarke set her heart on. She wanted her to learn that sometimes she had to put other people first. Luckily Clarke was a kind-hearted soul, and took great delight in choosing the perfect Lego set for Harper, who loved dragons and castles, and Clarke’s face was a picture of joy as she handed over the box to be gift wrapped at the cash desk. 

Abby looked at her watch. Ten past four, so Marcus should be at the coffee shop by now. Nerves sent butterflies fluttering inside her as they made their way down the block, and she forced herself to calm down. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, she repeated in her head for the thousandth time, and conveniently ignoring the thought that she hadn’t told Callie about her appointment with Marcus. Clarke whined about wanting to go home; she didn’t know they were going to meet Marcus, in case he didn’t show up or Abby backed out at the last minute, and her excitement when she spotted him sitting at the counter was uncontainable. 

“Marcus!!” Clarke flew between the tables, not looking where she was going, and tripped on a bag of shopping on the floor. Luckily this time Marcus had seen exactly what was going to happen and reached out to grab her as she flew through the air.

“Woah, steady tiger! You don’t want to break your other arm too!” He placed her on her feet but Clarke immediately reached up with her good arm to be picked up, so he lifted her and placed her on the stool beside him. When Abby reached them, Clarke was deep into her explanation of the Lego set they had just gotten for Harper, and Marcus was listening and nodding intently. 

She took the stool on Clarke’s other side and Marcus grinned at her in welcome over Clarke’s head. Clarke was telling him about the police officer’s hat she’d seen now, and how Abby wouldn’t let her have it because they were there to get a gift for Harper, and it was a minute or two before Abby was able to get a word in edgeways. 

“Hi,” she said when Clarke finally stopped for a breather. “Coffee?” He nodded and she ordered two coffees and a juice for her daughter, which Clarke guzzled through a straw before jumping down off the stool and heading to the small table in the corner where there were colouring pencils and paper and two other children were already colouring away the greyness of the day.

“How has she been?” Marcus asked when they had their coffees and a silence had settled between them. It wasn’t awkward but it also needed to be filled, because otherwise there was no point them even being there.

“Not too bad,” Abby said. “Saturday she was a bit grizzly, but she’s coping pretty well to be honest. She even went to school today.”

“She’s a survivor,” he said, impressed. “You can see she has an incredible strength of spirit. Nothing is going to stop her.”

“That’s a very optimistic way of putting it,” said Abby with a laugh. “I call it stubbornness, with a healthy dose of melodrama thrown in.”

He laughed in agreement. “Whatever it is, she’ll go a long way.”

“I hope so. I try to channel her rebellious streak as much as I can, but it’s not easy bringing up such a wilful child alone.”

There was a silence, and she could see what he was thinking, even though he didn’t say it. She kicked herself mentally. She hadn’t meant to tell him anything about her marriage, and now she’d all but told him she was a single mom. She was going to have to explain herself if she didn’t want him to think she was a liar, although he wasn’t sure why that was so important to her. 

“My husband doesn’t get home as often as he’d like,” she said matter-of-factly, then corrected herself, her voice barely more than a whisper. “As often as  _ we’d _ like.”

“I’m sorry.” His eyes were full of sympathy. “That must be hard.”

“Yeah.” She smiled weakly but she couldn’t meet his gaze, because he had this unnerving way of looking at her as if he could see right into her soul, and she didn’t want him to see just  _ how  _ hard it was. Neither of them spoke for a moment and they watched the children colouring at the small table admiring Clarke’s drawing of a rabbit in a forest. 

“It must be hard for him too, being away from his family. Not seeing his daughter grow up.”

She felt an irrational stab of resentment at his words. Jake’s suffering was entirely his own doing, and she didn’t want to hear sympathy for him from Marcus. She felt guilty enough as it was, and her emotions constantly yo-yoed between heartbreak that her marriage was ending, and that she was hurting Jake, and anger at Jake for putting his job first. Marcus didn’t know she’d come to the end of her tether and had asked for a divorce, though, so she just nodded in agreement.

“You’re not working today?” she asked, changing the subject to more mundane matters. He wasn’t dressed in uniform again and she wondered when he actually worked.

“Tonight,” he answered with a grimace. “I’m on night shift this week.”

Oh, that explained it. “Oh yuck,” she said, wrinkling her nose as she sipped her coffee. 

“I don’t mind it, really. It’s not like I have a family to fit in with. It doesn’t make a lot of difference to me when I work and when I sleep.”

“I guess.” She’d worked plenty of night shifts when she was newly qualified and knew that adjusting your body to different sleep patterns was never easy. “So you do five nights?” 

“Yeah, five nights on, three nights off. The problem is I sleep all weekend. Then four days on, two days off. And repeat.”

“I wouldn’t mind sleeping all weekend,” she grinned. “No chance of that with an energetic four-year-old. She’s awake at six thirty every day.”

“Ouch.”

“And this Saturday we have Harper’s party. Three hours of fifteen four-year-olds!” She finished her coffee and picked up her purse, preparing to pay. Marcus seemed lost in thought, a slightly wistful expression on his handsome features.

“You know -” he said falteringly. “It’s my daughter’s first birthday this weekend too.” His eyes seemed pained, and she sensed immediately that this wasn’t the joyful occasion that it should be for him. She put her purse back down. It looked like she wasn’t leaving just yet.

“Is she having a party?” 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not invited.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. That must be hard.” She wondered if she should ask more questions or wait for him to speak. When he didn’t, she said, “Do you want to talk about it?”

He huffed a little laugh. “There’s not much to tell. I’ve never even seen my daughter. My ex made it quite clear she didn’t want me in her life.”

“Oh God. I’m so sorry.” No wonder he sympathised with Jake. He was in the same situation, only through no fault of his own. At least, as far as she knew it wasn’t. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who deserved to be excluded from his daughter’s life. “She must have sent you the photo though. The one on your phone.”

He was visibly surprised that she’d noticed the photo in the brief second before he’d unlocked his phone, and that she’d immediately pieced together who the child was. 

“Yes. It’s the only one though. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” He took out his phone and showed her the photo again, this time unlocking the phone and searching for the photo in the camera roll.

“She really is!” The baby had thick dark curls and big dark brown eyes the exact same colour as Marcus’s, her soft chubby cheeks dimpling in a toothless smile. “She looks a lot like you.”

He was flattered by her indirect compliment, which melted her heart a tiny bit. “Thank you.”

“Are you going to send her a gift?”

He looked uncomfortable as he put his phone away again. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Oh, Marcus. You might not be in her life now, but that doesn’t mean you never will be. You  _ have _ to send her a gift, because believe me your ex will never let her forget it if you don’t.”

He didn’t answer and she kicked herself, wondering if she’d overstepped the mark. She didn’t know him or his situation, she had no right to offer him gratuitous advice on such a personal matter. She really needed to learn when to mind her own business. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s okay. Thank you for speaking your mind. I hadn’t actually thought of it that way.” He was silent for a moment, deep in thought. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I usually am,” she said lightly, trying to ease the tension, and he laughed at her smugness.

“Would you - would you help me to choose a gift? I have no idea what to buy a child that I know nothing about.”

“Of course! It’s the least I can do. We can go now, if you like? There’s a lovely shop just a few doors down. Clarke and I were just there to buy Harper a present.”

“Great! I’m hopeless with kids, I really am.”

“Hey.” She placed her hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks as he moved to stand up. “That’s not true. You were amazing with Clarke the other day. She fell asleep on you, and she’d only known you a couple of hours! You got right down to her level, and she trusted you immediately. You’re kind and patient and you’d make a fantastic dad. I’m so sorry it’s being denied to you, it’s really unfair.”

He swallowed hard, his eyes on her hand on his forearm, and when he looked up at her his eyes were filled with gratitude. “Wow, thank you. I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“It’s  _ so _ unfair,” she went on quietly, “because my husband  _ chooses  _ not to be present in his daughter’s life.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she wiped them away in annoyance, already regretting sharing so much.

“Oh. Do you want to talk about it?”

She thought for a minute, then shook her head. “No.” He nodded in understanding, but almost without wanting to she blurted out, “I’m filing for divorce next week.”

“God. I’m so sorry, Abby.” 

He took her hand in his, and it was so wonderfully warm and soft that her whole body reacted to his touch. It had been so long since she’d had any physical affection from a man that it was almost overwhelming. She stared at the soft dark hairs that grew on the back of his hand, and at the thumb that caressed her palm ever so gently, and she realised Clarke wasn’t the only one who trusted him implicitly. “It’s just been going on too long,” she went on slowly. “And last week I snapped and told him I wanted a divorce. Thursday, actually. The day before Clarke broke her arm and I had my bag stolen.”

“Shit.” He let out a long sigh. “Do you still love him?”

“I don’t know. It’s difficult to tell when I never see him, and all I ever feel is anger and disappointment. I did love him though. We were so happy together.”

They sat in silence for a while, and then she reluctantly extracted her hand from his, because it wouldn’t do to be seen holding hands with an attractive man in a coffee shop when she was still married. He thought he seemed as reluctant as she was to let go, though. “Come on,” she said, trying to brighten her expression. Let’s go and buy a present for -” She stopped, realising she didn’t even know his daughter’s name. 

“Aria,” he said. “It means ‘air’ in Italian.”

“It’s pretty!” she said, but he just shrugged.

“Yeah. I wasn’t involved in choosing it.”

Abby slipped her coat on and picked up Clarke’s coat from the stool. “Clarke, come on. It’s time to go! We’re going to help Marcus choose a present for a little girl called Aria.”

“Yeah! In the toy shop?” Clarke’s face lit up, and she jumped to her feet. “So long, suckers!” she said to the other two children, grabbing her drawing and making her way towards her mom. 

“Clarke! You mustn’t say that to people, it’s a bad word!” Abby was horrified at Clarke’s expression, while Marcus was biting his lip in an attempt not to laugh, his eyes alight with amusement. 

“Sorry mommy. I heard Bellamy say it.”

Abby frowned. Bellamy was eight, and should know better. Abby would have to have words with his mom, who lived a few doors down. “Say goodbye nicely, please,” she reprimanded her daughter as she buttoned up the coat as best as she could, given Clarke’s broken arm.

“Goodbye my dears! Have a wonderful day!” she called to the children, before marching out of the coffee shop, leaving Abby and Marcus to dissolve into laughter.

“I told you,” Marcus murmured as they followed her out. “She’ll go a long way.”

Three quarters of an hour later they emerged from the toy shop, Marcus clutching a bag which contained a beautifully illustrated book of modern fairytales and Clarke finally with her police officer’s hat, since she had been incredibly good except for the “so long, suckers” incident. Out on the sidewalk, they said goodbye to Marcus, and Clarke held out her drawing of the rabbit in the forest.

“It’s for you,” she said shyly. “Or you can give it to Aria.”

Marcus took the drawing, and crouched down to Clarke’s height. “Thank you, Clarke. It’s beautiful. I think I’ll keep it, if that’s okay. Aria’s still a baby, and she might tear it.”

“Okay.” Clarke leaned forward and wrapped her good arm around his neck, locking him in a tight embrace, and he hesitated just a second before hugging her back. When he stood up he looked visibly moved, his eyes shining slightly as he turned to Abby.

“Abby, thank you for everything. Take care, okay? And - you have my number. If there’s anything I can do…”

“Thank you. You too, okay? And I hope Aria likes the gift.” She hesitated a moment, then reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “Take care, Marcus,” she whispered, before taking Clarke’s hand and walking her away, just as the rain was starting to fall.

  
  
  
  
  



	24. Timeline 2 pt 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another photo appears, and Kane explains to Abby what it could mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on timeline 2: Kane and Abby clash over how to handle an assault victim at the hospital, and Kane is worried when Abby finds a strange photo of Clarke and Jasper on her car. Kane helps Abby out when she's unable to pick up Clarke from Raven's. See Chapters 2, 8, 14, and 19).

The following evening the second photo appeared. 

Abby got home from work to find Jasper and Clarke in her kitchen, the two photos on the table between them. Jasper’s mom had found it in her mailbox that morning, and Jasper had shown it to Clarke at school. The kids thought it was hilarious, joking about paparazzi and being superstars, and Abby laughed along with them while all the time her insides were twisting into knots of worry. She was relieved when Clarke finally went to bed, and she was able to retreat to her room to think it over.

She sat on her bed, the photos in her hands. Should she call Kane? He obviously hadn’t liked the fact that she had found the photo of Clarke, and it couldn’t be a coincidence that Jasper’s mom had found one too. She picked up her phone, but paused when she saw the time. It was eleven fifty. She wondered if this was urgent enough to call him this late or if it could wait till morning. Maybe she could send him a text message. If he was awake he’d read it and if he was asleep he’d see it tomorrow morning. 

He had told her to call him any time of the day or night, though. Wracked with indecision, she sat with her phone in her hand, watching the minutes tick past. Calling him at midnight seemed like such an intimate thing to do.  _ This is ridiculous _ , she thought to herself. It was just getting later and later.  _ Just send him a text message. _

“Just thought I should let you know Clarke’s friend Jasper also found a photo. It seems too much of a coincidence to not mean anything. Abby.”

She pressed send and threw her phone on the bed next to her. There. He couldn’t be mad at her now. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and pondered this. Had he really been mad with her, or just frustrated that she wasn’t taking him seriously? She was beginning to realise that he wasn’t as over-zealous and pompous as she’d first thought. He was passionate and driven by a desire to protect the innocent and vulnerable people in the hospital. To protect  _ her,  _ she thought with a jolt. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing on the bed next to her. She snatched it up, amused to see the name on the screen.  _ Kane.  _ He clearly had no such reservations about calling her at midnight. She took a deep breath and accepted the call, putting the phone to her ear. 

“Hello?”

“Abby?” His voice was low. “I just saw your message.”

“I’d have called, but it’s late,” she said at once. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“It’s okay, I’m not asleep.”

She couldn’t help wondering where he was, if he was in bed like her, or if he was still up. Working, maybe, or watching a movie. “I can see that,” she smiled into the phone. “But I didn’t know if you were busy…”

“I’m alone,” he said quickly, like it mattered to her who he was with, and he must have realised how he’d sounded too because he cleared his throat nervously. “Tell me about this other photo.”

Abby repeated what Clarke had told her, and he listened without interrupting. “I don’t like it,” she admitted when she had finished. “Do you think it’s anything to worry about?” 

He was silent for a few seconds and she thought he’d fallen asleep. “I don’t know,” he said at last. “It’s suspicious but it could be nothing. I don’t want you to worry, though. Can you bring the photos to the police station tomorrow?”

“Sure,” she answered.

“I’ll need you to give a statement,” he continued. “Just saying where they were found and that they’re not yours. Will that be okay?” 

She huffed a little laugh. “I think I can manage that.”

She could almost hear his grimace down the phone. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” he trailed off.

“Should I bring them down first thing? About nine?”

“Yes, that would be great.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight. And don’t worry, Abby. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“I won’t.” She hesitated. “Thank you for calling.” 

“Anytime,” he said at once, and the phone went dead as he hung up. She stared at the screen for a few seconds, feeling immeasurably calmed by his soft tones and reassuring words. That was his  _ job _ , she reprimanded herself. It didn’t mean anything. 

…………………

  
  


Kane woke up early the next morning and went for a run in Central Park. It was his favourite time of day, when the shadows were still long and the temperature cool. He enjoyed being able to think, his logical mind sorting out the information it had acquired the previous day and filing it away tidily in the correct compartment of his mind.

This morning, however, his thoughts swirled around chaotically in his head and he wasn’t able to find peace as he ran. Every train of thought led him back to the same starting point, Abby Griffin and the photos of her daughter. He had a good idea where they were coming from, but because Jaha had pulled him off the case his hands were tied. There was no way Jaha was going to let him investigate two seemingly innocent photos on police time, so he’d just have to do it on his own time. And that was going to start today.

“Well look who’s in on his day off,” sneered Wick as he sat down next to him twenty minutes later. “Trying to get back in the chief’s good books after two days AWOL eh?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kane retorted. “I was here yesterday.”

“Yeah, for ten minutes.”

Kane shook his head and ignored him, focusing his attention on the data he had pulled up on the screen. 

“Ohhhhhhhh! Now I get it,” said Wick with a chuckle, tilting his head in the direction of the door. Kane followed with his eyes to see Abby standing at the entrance, looking around nervously, a white envelope in her hands. She was wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt and her hair was soft and loose around her face. He caught her eye and lifted his hand in a small wave and her face relaxed into a smile when she saw him. 

“Wow!” Wick said under his breath, and Kane glared at him as he got up. 

“Shut up,” he muttered but Wick just chuckled to himself even more. 

He took Abby through to one of the private rooms. “Are you okay?” he asked as he sat her down in front of the desk. 

She gave a small smile but the faint black shadows under her eyes told him she hadn’t slept much. He hoped she hadn’t been worrying about the photos.

“I’m okay. Thanks.” 

“I’m just going to ask you some questions and I’ll record your answers,” he told her as he switched on the computer. “It’ll just take a few minutes. Okay? Are you ready to start?” 

She looked a little calmer as she nodded. He asked her a few questions about the photos, when and where she had found them and if they were hers, and then she pressed her thumb to the thumb pad as a signature. He scanned the photos into the file and saved the file under the relevant case number. The whole thing took less than ten minutes. 

“Okay,” he said with a grin when he was done. “That’s it.”

“That’s it? Can you tell me something about what’s going on here? Why are people watching my daughter?”

He should have known she was going to ask questions, but there was no way he could talk here. The interview rooms were under video surveillance, and with Chief Jaha clearly being bought off, he had no idea who could be listening. 

“There’s nothing to tell, Dr Griffin,” he said stiffly, and he saw her eyes crease in confusion. “The photos and your statement have been noted and we will look into the matter.”

He stood up and moved towards the door, holding it open for her. She picked up her bag and walked out, stopping to look up at him as she did, but he kept his face blank, since he was facing the camera in the corner. 

“Thank you for coming,” he said formally as he accompanied her to the door.

“Thank you for your time, detective,” she answered equally coolly, and with that she walked out into the parking lot without glancing back.

As soon as she was gone, Kane ran to his desk and switched his computer off. He grabbed his cell phone and his leather jacket, shrugging it on as he ran towards the door.

“There goes the pretty doctor,” sang Wick, shaking his head. “And there goes the smitten detective.”

“Fuck off, Wick,” he tossed over his shoulder as he pushed through the doors. 

  
  


……………………..

  
  


Out in the parking lot, Abby walked to her car in a daze. What the hell had just happened there? He was like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, one minute humble and sweet and then all of a sudden the asshole was back, and he couldn’t get her out of there fast enough. Tears pricked at her eyes. Was she really so goddamn lonely she was seeing kindness where it wasn’t? She kicked herself mentally. She’d known him long enough now, she should have known better. 

She was rummaging in her bag for her keys when she heard his voice calling her name, and she turned to see him jogging across the parking lot towards her.

“Abby,” he said breathlessly when he reached her. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t talk in there. Hey, are you okay?” His eyes scanned her face, taking in her flushed cheeks and eyes shining with tears.

“I’m fine,” she said, blinking furiously. “I’m just not sure what the hell happened there.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said again. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Listen, are you busy? I thought we could get some breakfast. Then we can talk.”

“I‘m not,” she admitted, considering his offer. It couldn’t hurt, and she  _ was  _ hungry. If he could give her more information about what was behind the photos, that was all the better.  Besides, he seemed so earnest and hopeful it was difficult to say no. What the heck was happening here? She smiled at him shyly. “Okay. That would be nice.”

His face broke into a beaming smile. “Great! Do you have anywhere in mind? If not I know this great little place that does amazing pancakes.”

“Pancakes are fine,” she laughed. “As long as there is coffee.”

…………………

  
  


His expression was still contrite as they took their seats in a booth at the back of the cafè. “I’m really sorry, I had to act like I don’t know anything,” he said, “because I suspect that somebody high up is trying to hush everything up.”

They ordered pancakes and coffee and juice on the data pad on the table. The food arrived promptly within minutes, and Kane paid by holding his card against the scanner on the table. Abby protested but he ignored her. “My treat,” he said. “I invited you.”

“Thank you,” she said, swallowing a strawberry. “Next time it’s on me.” She flushed, realising that she’d basically invited him to have breakfast with her again. “I should repay you for bringing Clarke home the other night. You pretty much saved my life.”

“I told you, it was a pleasure,” he said. “She’s a great kid. Very - insightful.” 

Oh God. He was referring to Clarke’s questions. “I’m so sorry if she was inappropriate,” she said quickly. “Sometimes she doesn’t have any filters.” Her cheeks flamed slightly as she remembered the “he’s cute” message Kane had seen on her phone. 

“Abby, it’s fine. I enjoyed talking to her.”

Once she had her food in front of her Abby found her appetite had come back in full force. She hadn’t really eaten any dinner last night either after Clarke had told her about the second photo so she was really running on empty. Her stomach was still a knot of nerves but for some reason his presence calmed her enough to allow her to get some much needed nutrition into her body. 

“What does Clarke think about the photos? Is she worried about them?” he asked when they had been eating in silence for a minute.. 

“Oh, she and Jasper think it’s hilarious. They don’t suspect anything. She’s staying at her Dad’s this week so I won’t see her until next Saturday.”

“Do you miss her?”

She contemplated his question. “Usually, yes. But lately, things have been strained. It’s a difficult age.” She felt guilty saying these things about her daughter, but apart from Diana she had no one to vent to when things got tough. 

“Does she have a good relationship with her dad?” He seemed genuinely interested and sympathetic, so she opened up more. 

“She idolises him. I guess it’s because he’s away half the year - he and Callie do three months on three months off. So when he’s here she’s over the moon. And of course, they have a house on the beach and she has fun with her friends.” She smiled sadly. “It sucks being the boring, everyday parent.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” he said gently. “You’re doing a great job.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your vote of confidence.” The corners of her mouth tugged upwards and he smiled back at her warmly.

“You know, I went to college with Jake.”

“I know.” It amused her that he would think she wouldn’t remember that. He looked like he wanted to say something else but clearly thought the better of it because he just turned back to his food.

When they had finished they gave their plates to a passing server and ordered another coffee for her and a mineral water for him, and she looked at him expectantly. 

“Okay,” she said. “Tell me what the hell is going on with these photos.”

He ran his hand through his hair, making it temporarily stand up on end, and she watched in fascination as it flopped perfectly back into place.

“It’s difficult to know where to start. Have you heard of a company called Wallace Pharmaceuticals? Of course you have,” he said quickly, as she looked at him indignantly. “You’re a doctor.” He shook his head at his own naivety. “Vincent Vie works for them as a researcher. There have been rumours of unethical practices going on in that company. Experiments on “volunteers” who are really anything but, mainly concerning some kind of blood altering drug. We’ve been watching them for months, but we haven’t got anything concrete to go on.” He took a sip of water. “I’ve been in contact with Mr Vie for a while but he was too scared to blow the whistle on them, until he finally agreed to meet me on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, on Monday night he was found in an alleyway with six knife wounds in his stomach. The reason he didn’t lose a lot of blood is because I had undercover men keeping an eye on him and they found him almost immediately. But it’s too much of a coincidence to be a random street mugging.”

Abby sat in silence, taking everything in. She could hardly believe it. She had met Dante Wallace many times, and he had always seemed the perfect gentleman. He had built his company from scratch and was a humble but dignified man. He was semi-retired now, and the company was in the hands of his son Cage. She had to admit she wasn’t as keen on him as on his father but she never would have guessed he’d be capable of something like this.

“Okay, but what has this got to do with my daughter?”

Kane took a deep breath. “Vincent Vie’s daughter is her friend Jasper Jordan’s girlfriend. We think they are just trying to scare Mr Vie into silence. We’ve already found similar photos of Maya and Jasper.”

“Oh God.” Tears welled up in her eyes and she took a shaky breath. “Do you think… do you think they will try to hurt her?” The idea made her feel sick to her stomach. 

“No, it’s just scare tactics. They attacked Mr Vie to silence him. The kids don’t know anything that could threaten them.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I swear to God, if anything happens to her…”

“Abby.” He covered her hand with his. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to your daughter. And she’ll be even safer at Jake’s this week.”

“I had no idea…” she trailed off. “I thought you were just being over-zealous as usual.” 

He huffed a laugh, but his eyes were still soft. “Not over-zealous, Abby. And for the record, you can be incredibly stubborn at times.”

“I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.”

“It’s okay.” He smiled. “Clarke has a cell phone, right? You can use the gps tracker for peace of mind, but I’m sure they aren’t interested in her. And you can call me whenever you need anything.” 

His expression was so sincere, so genuine that for a moment she didn’t know what to say. His hand was still on hers, his thumb caressing her knuckles and she was suddenly extremely aware of how intimate that was. Feeling flustered, she pulled her hand away, trying to put distance between them. 

“Thank you, detective,” she said shyly but somewhat formally. “I really appreciate it.”

He threaded his fingers together thoughtfully. “You know, I have a name,” he chided her mildly.

She nodded vaguely and repeated, “Thank you, detective  _ Kane _ . I really appreciate it.”

He grinned at her unintentional joke. “You’re welcome. And that’s not what I meant.”

Oh. She felt herself blushing under his gaze, and was glad when he changed the subject. 

“So what are your plans for tomorrow? Since Clarke is at her dad’s for the week.”

“Oh, not much. Cleaning, relaxing at home. I need to clean my car and sort out some paperwork. What about you?” 

“Probably the same, if I don’t have to work.” He fiddled absently with his bottle of water. “You know, there’s a music festival in Central Park tomorrow afternoon. I just wondered, if you’re not doing anything…”

She stared at him open-mouthed, surprised to see he was blushing ever so slightly. “Are you asking me on a date?”

“No,” he said. “Strictly police business.”

She giggled, not sure if he was joking or not. 

“I guess we could call it a date…. if you want it to be a date, that is.”

She smiled. Why not? It could be fun, and God knows she needed a distraction. “The music festival sounds good.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I managed to get three consecutive chapters set in coffee shops, I obviously didn't plan that very well. Sorry if it was a bit ripetitive!


	25. Timeline 6 pt 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 6: Abby is trying to hide her feelings for Marcus, the dad of one of Clarke’s friends, worried about what people will think if it gets out she has a crush on a married man. To her dismay, the universe keeps throwing them together. (See chapters 6, 12, 17 and 22).

Octavia lounges on the couch in the living room, her eyes fixed on the enormous flat screen on the wall where her favourite soccer team is beating their opponents three - two. There are still ten minutes of the match left though, and she hardly dares to breathe as the attacker for the other team breaks through her team’s defence, but just as he takes a shot at the goal the picture freezes and the words “incoming video call” appear in the centre of the tv screen.

Octavia lets out a howl and presses “accept” on the remote, hoping to get rid of the caller as quickly as possible. Her annoyance abates somewhat when Marcus’s bearded smiling face appears on the screen, and she waves lazily.

“Hey! How’s London?”

“Wet,” he replies. “How’s my favourite God daughter?”

“I’ll be fine when you get off my tv so I can carry on watching the match.”

“Charming.” He feigns indignation but she knows he’s secretly pleased she shares his passion for the game. 

“And for what it’s worth, I’m your only God daughter, so that’s not much of a compliment.”

“Well, even if I had other God daughters, you’d still be my favourite.”

She flashes him a sarcastic smile. “Gee thanks. I’m flattered.”

“Is your mom around?”

“She’s getting ready to go out with Tom. Should I put you through to her?”

“Thanks. Catch you later, O. Oh and tell your brother to answer his calls sometimes, would you? He never picks up.”

“He’s too busy with his girlfriend. They’re probably snogging.”

Marcus laughs as Octavia blows him a kiss and presses the button to transfer him to her mom’s room, and an instant later she’s engrossed in the last three minutes of the match again.

  
  


………

  
  


In her room, Aurora Blake sits at the dressing table, applying her makeup in preparation for her date tonight with Tom, the mechanic. It’s their three month anniversary and they’re going to their favourite restaurant to celebrate. Things are going well, and she’s feeling good about a relationship for the first time in the six years she’s been a widow, ever since Octavia’s dad Eddie was killed in a shoot out at work. He’d been on an undercover mission with Marcus, but the perpetrator had been tipped off by a mole and was waiting for them. Both police officers had been shot, but only Eddie’s injuries had proved fatal, and as he lay dying in a pool of blood Marcus had sworn to take care of his family for him. He’d been as good as his word. He’d been invaluable to her and Bellamy and Octavia, being the father figure the kids needed, and an emotional (and sometimes, much as she hates to admit it, financial) support to her over the years. He’s her closest friend, and she loves him dearly, which is why as soon as she sees his name flash up on the tablet screen beside her, she accepts the call and abandons her makeup routine. Tom can wait. 

“Hi!,” she says brightly. “How’s London?”

“Wet,” he repeats with a grimace. “Is this a bad time? Octavia said you’re going out with Tom.”

“I always have time to talk to you, you know that. How did it go?” He’s in London for a job interview for an international security firm that has branches in all the major cities in the world.

“It went well,” he says. “They offered me the job.”

“Congratulations! That’s fantastic!” She smiles at him happily, waiting for him to join her, but his face remains serious and her smile fades. “Isn’t it?”

He looks uncomfortable so she presses him again. “What is it? You know you can talk to me, Marcus.”

“They want me to start immediately,” he begins slowly. 

“Well, that’s good. You’ve been out of work long enough.”

“They want me to head up the London office. Stay here, and take over in January.”

“Oh.” She deflates like a balloon. “You’re moving to London permanently?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”

She’s silent, churning over the news. It’s an amazing opportunity for him, and God knows he’s done enough for them over the years, but he’s her best friend and confidante, and she’ll  _ miss  _ him, damnit. 

“I can still be there for you and the kids,” he says lamely. “You know, if they need anything, or just to talk… And they could come and visit me, it would be an amazing experience for them.” He pauses, but she doesn’t speak, just stares at his beloved face and wonders what she’s going to do without him, because she can see now that deep down he’s already made up his mind. “And you have Tom now, he’s a nice guy and you’re great together. You don’t need me anymore.” His tone is lighter, but something snaps inside her at this.

“Don’t say that! I will  _ always  _ need you, Marcus!” Her voice breaks and her eyes fill with tears. 

“I didn’t mean that,” he says quickly. “I’ll always be here for you, and I’ll always need you too, because the three of you are all I have left of him.”

They stare at each other for a moment, their minds far away on a rainy Manhattan day, when they’d both lost a person dear to them. When he finally speaks, it’s on a different topic altogether. 

“You know, there’s another good reason for me to move halfway across the world.”

She knows what he’s talking about already. “Abby.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“No.” 

“Marcus…” she shakes her head in despair. He’s  _ hopeless.  _

“I don’t need to talk to her, I can see all too plainly how she feels. She can’t get away from me fast enough, every time I suggest doing something she looks like she’d rather have a tooth extracted without anaesthetic. At the soccer matches she talks to everyone in the room except me.” He sighs. “I had hoped we could at least be friends but I don’t think she even wants that.”

“I still think you should tell her how you feel. What have you got to lose?”

“Other than my pride?” 

“You and your stupid pride.”

“Me and my stupid habit of always falling for the wrong women.”

“But you don’t know if they’re the wrong women because your pride never lets you find out.” They’ve been here before, and as much as she loves him he’s stubborn as a mule and if he wasn’t on the other side of the ocean she’d kick his ass right now. 

“Aurora… it’s okay. I mean I like her a lot, but I’ll get over it. Plenty more fish on the other side of the Atlantic.” 

She can see he’s putting on a brave face though, and she suspects his feelings for Abby run much deeper than liking her a lot, but out of respect she doesn’t push him. Personally she’s never seen him so into someone in the ten years she’s known him. He doesn’t stop talking about her, and his face lights up whenever she’s mentioned, although he’s careful to hide that from Octavia, obviously realising how awkward it could be for her if she knew he was in love with her friend’s mom. He needn’t be so careful though, she thinks. Teenagers are way too wrapped up in their own world to pay any attention to the feelings of adults. 

“It will just be easier to get over her if I don’t have to see her all the time,” he goes on. “Out of sight, out of mind, you know?”

She nods slowly, and his face is so sad that she feels an irrational flash of resentment towards Abby Griffin. What is wrong with the woman? How can she not be attracted to Marcus? He’s handsome and sweet and kind, and he deserves all the happiness in the world. “Do it, Marcus. Take the job. It’s about time you did something for you. We’ll miss you like crazy, but we’ll survive. And I’m gonna book tickets to come and visit you in the new year. The kids will be thrilled to go to England.”

Relief floods his face. “Are you sure?” 

“Of course I am. Now get off the call and go accept the job. And I want to be kept up-to-date on everything, okay? Don’t forget about us.”

“Thanks. And I won’t. I’ll miss you all too, especially the brat on the couch.” They both laugh, and she blows him a kiss. 

“Gotta run, Tom will be here any minute now. Take care and speak soon.”

“Bye Aurora. Have fun tonight.”

The screen goes black, and she turns back to her makeup. Luckily Tom’s usually a few minutes late, so she still has time. She’ll tell the kids tomorrow about Marcus’s decision. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this wasn’t their backstory in These Times of Ours, but I will post a happy ending to this one too, because it’s too sad that it ended like this, and they will just be too cute when they find out how the other felt the whole time!


	26. Timeline 1 pt 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke wants to give Marcus a drawing, and decides to take matters into her own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on timeline 1: Abby and Clarke met Marcus when Clarke tripped over his foot and broke her arm. When they met a week later at the coffee shop, Abby confided in him about her marriage problems and learned that Marcus has a daughter he has no contact with. (See chapters 1, 7, 13, 18, and 23.)

She didn’t hear from Marcus for the rest of the week. Not that she expected to; she’d repaid him for the pizza and their goodbyes on the sidewalk had been quite final. She thought about him a lot, though. His soft smile and gentle voice gave her a sense of peace, and she wondered if he’d been brought into her life to help her through this messy time. He was a small sliver of comfort in a world that was crumbling around her ears, a bandaid on the gaping and painful wound that was her marriage. 

She still cried everyday, and that was without even talking to Jake. They hadn’t spoken since Saturday, and she didn’t have any inclination to call him. The pain in his eyes and voice was unbearable. She knew he was suffering, but she had to close her heart. It would be all too easy to give in and stop him hurting, but it would only be a temporary relief from the misery, and before long she’d be feeling alone and resentful again.

Clarke asked everyday when they would see Marcus again, and each time it made Abby’s heart ache, because she never asked about her dad in the same way. Clarke’s adoration for Marcus was sweet but it made Abby realise how big a hole Jake’s absence left in her life. She wondered what kind of a relationship Clarke would have with Jake once they were divorced.

She remembered how happy Jake had been to hold Clarke for the first time, how attentive he’d been with her. How he’d looked at Abby like she was a goddess for giving him such a beautiful daughter. How he’d read parenting books and changed her diaper more than she had, how she’d fallen asleep on his chest more easily than on hers, because when Abby held her she immediately wanted to be fed. He had welcomed fatherhood so eagerly, that it was truly a tragedy for their relationship to be reduced to this. And for what? For a space station, a hunk of metal in the sky. 

She was roused from her musings by Clarke, coming to show her another drawing, this time of an elephant in the jungle. 

“Oh that’s beautiful, sweetheart,” Abby said enthusiastically. “Is it for me?”

“No. It’s for Marcus. Can you call him and tell him to come and get it?”

“Oh, I think Marcus is probably busy today, Clarke. But why don’t we write his name on it, and then if he has time he can come by and pick it up. Okay?”

Clarke set her mouth into a scowl. “Isn’t Marcus our friend anymore?”

“I -,” Abby wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Of course he is, but he’s just a little busy. Listen, how about we send him a message, to tell him the drawing is for him, and if he has time he can come and pick it up.”

“Yeah!!” yelled Clarke at the top of her lungs. “He’ll come, mommy! I know he will!”

Clarke went off happily and Abby picked up her phone and chewed her lip, unsure what to do, but the universe truly moves in mysterious ways because at that moment her screen lit up with a new message.  _ Marcus. _

With a tiny flutter of pleasure she swiped the message to open it, and was surprised to see a photo of his daughter, visibly older than the screensaver on his phone, smiling happily at the book of fairytales Abby had helped him choose. His message read: “She loved it! Her mom sent me some photos, and a long message telling me all about her. This is the best thing that could have happened and I have you to thank for that.”

Tears of happiness welled in her eyes. This was wonderful, and his obvious delight was so touching. She put the phone down for a moment, too overcome to think of responding, and went to get a tissue. When she turned back, Clarke was back and had picked up her phone. 

“Who’s that?” she asked, her eyes wide and round. 

“That’s Aria, Clarke. Do you remember Marcus’s baby daughter, who we helped him choose a gift for?” 

“Oh she’s so cute! She has chubby chubby cheeks!”

“She is, isn’t she? And she really liked the gift, and Marcus was happy.” She turned to throw her tissue in the waste under the sink, and when she turned around Clarke had disappeared. A moment later she heard her daughter’s voice from the living room. 

“Hi Marcus! It’s Clarke!” 

In a flash Abby was in the living room, where Clarke was strutting up and down with Abby’s phone to her ear as Abby often did herself when she was talking on the phone. 

“Mmmm hmmm. Yeah. Mmm hmm. No. I did. Yeah. Mmmm. Okay.”

Abby gestured wildly at Clarke to hand her the phone back but Clarke wagged her index finger of her broken arm at her in a classic “no” sign and Abby rolled her eyes in despair.

“I drew you an elephant,” Clarke was saying. “Do you like elephants?” Her face split into a beaming smile; Marcus very clearly did like elephants. “Okay, so, mommy says you’re busy, but when you got time come and get it and mommy will make you a coffee too. And maybe a cake. Okay? Okay. See you soon. Bye Marcus.” Clarke ended the call, and, placing the phone on the table, went back to her drawing without taking the blindest bit of notice of Abby. 

“Clarke!” It came out as a splutter, she was so flabbergasted by her daughter’s gall. “Did you - did you just call Marcus?”

“Yeah. He said he’ll come on Wednesday. When’s Wednesday?”

“The day after tomorrow,” said Abby faintly. She went and sat down on the couch opposite Clarke so that she was more on her level. “But that was naughty, Clarke. You can’t just call Marcus and invite him to come for coffee…”

“Why not?”

“Well, because - because. Because that’s for adults to decide.” She knew that was a stupid explanation and she hated herself for not being able to come up with something a bit more plausible in the eyes of a four-year-old.

Clarke looked at her candidly, her blue eyes wide and innocent. “Aren’t you happy Marcus is coming?”

“Well… I guess. Yes, I am.” She was, she couldn’t deny that. 

“So I did good,” said Clarke with an angelic smile, turning back to her drawing and effectively dismissing Abby, who picked up the phone and retreated to the kitchen in a state of semi-shock. She couldn’t  _ believe  _ Clarke had done that. She didn’t even know Clarke knew how to make phone calls. And she’d just boldly invited Marcus for coffee and cake.  _ Cake!  _ Now they were going to have to go shopping to buy ingredients to make a cake. 

She was mulling this over when the phone rang in her hand. Marcus. She took a deep breath and answered. 

“Hello?”

“Abby?” He sounded cautious, as if he thought Clarke might answer.

“Hi!” she said with forced cheerfulness. “Oh God, I’m so sorry about Clarke, I can’t believe she disturbed you at work…”

“It’s okay,” he laughed. “She made my day actually. She’s such a character.”

“Hmmm,” Abby replied, not convinced. “She shouldn’t have done that though. But hey! Great news about Aria! I’m so happy for you.”

“I was over the moon,” he said, and she could hear the happiness in his voice. “She sent me a load of photos. I’ll show them to you when I see you. She’s so beautiful, Abby.”

“She is,” she agreed, trying not to focus on the “when I see you” part of his sentence. He was obviously coming for coffee and cake on Wednesday. “She’s perfect.” 

She could almost feel him preening with pride down the phone. “Thank you,” he said. “So, I’ll see you on Wednesday?”

“Well, only if you have time, I don’t want to put you out…”

“I have time. I’m a lonely bachelor, remember? I’ll look forward to it.”

“Great,” she said, her heart constricting at his words. He was lonely? An image flashed into her head of him sitting alone in the evenings, staring at the photo of the daughter he’d never seen, longing for the family he would never have. She remembered his words about working night shifts.  _ It’s not like I have a family to fit in with. It doesn’t make a lot of difference to me when I work and when I sleep. _ No wonder he’d taken to Clarke. For a moment she felt herself choking up. He deserved so much better. 

“I mean, as long as it’s okay with you?” he asked suddenly. “I don’t want to put you out. And don’t worry about the cake, I’m sure you don’t have time…”

“Marcus, it’s fine. If Clarke says there will be cake, there will be cake!” she declared, in a vain attempt to contain the sadness that was welling inside her. “See you on Wednesday!”

They said goodbye, and she placed her phone on the table. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, trying to stem the tears which were never far away these days, but today, for the first time, she wept for a man who wasn’t her husband, and for a heartache that wasn’t her own. 

…………….

They stopped at the grocery store on Wednesday on their way home from kindergarten to buy ingredients to make a cake. Clarke wanted to make a lemon cake but Abby thought a simple chocolate one would be safer. Clarke suggested calling Marcus to find out which one he’d prefer but this time Abby managed to convince her that Marcus was busy chasing people who stole handbags from park benches and didn’t need to be bothered about cake varieties. Most people liked chocolate cake, and so they were going to make a chocolate cake. 

When they got home, they washed their hands and Clarke pulled up a chair to stand on so that she could mix the ingredients Abby had weighed out. When the cake mixture was ready Abby placed it in the oven - Clarke knew she wasn’t allowed to do that - and then Abby sent Clarke off to tidy her toys so that the house would be presentable when Marcus came. Abby cleaned the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher and then went to tidy herself, brushing her hair and reapplying her makeup because of course she looked a little tired after the whole day at work. 

She was just straightening the cushions when the doorbell rang, and Clarke ran to answer it. Abby wasn’t sure why she was so nervous. Marcus was just popping around to pick up Clarke’s drawing, and have a coffee and a slice of cake. Because  _ Clarke  _ had asked him too. Suddenly she was grateful that Clarke had phoned him; it took the burden of guilt off her shoulders. 

“Mommy it’s aunt Callie!” Clarke squealed, and Abby froze. Oh no. What was Callie doing here? She couldn’t be here now. What was she going to think, after their talk last week? Oh  _ God.  _

“Hey.” Callie’s voice interrupted her stream of panic. “I just thought I’d just pop by and see how Clarke is doing. You busy?”

“No, course not,” she lied before she could think what she was saying. She kicked herself. She hated lying to Callie and it was foolish anyway because Marcus was going to be there any minute and expose her lying butt. 

That was if Clarke didn’t do it first, of course. 

“Marcus is coming!” she said excitedly. “I drew him an elephant and mommy made him a chocolate cake.” 

Callie grinned at her excitement. “Oh wow! Let me see your drawing of the elephant!” As Clarke dashed off to get it, Callie turned to Abby with a questioning glare. “ _ Marcus  _ is coming?” she muttered, her eyes wide with incredulity. “ _ Marcus,  _ the hot cop?”

“Callie, it’s not what you think. Clarke invited him. She literally stole my phone and called him!”

“Are you serious?”

Abby sat down on the couch, and Callie joined her. “Yes. Buuuut, I should tell you, I saw him last week, too. We met for a coffee so I could repay him for the pizza, and then we helped him buy a present for his daughter, and today he sent me a photo of her opening it…”

“Whoa.” Callie held her hands out in front of her in a “stop” motion. “Sounds like you two are already pretty close. Does Jake know?”

Abby glanced around to check that they were still alone. “No. But Marcus and I are just friends, there’s nothing for him to know, and anyway, Jake and I are getting divorced, remember?”

Calie said nothing because Clarke entered the room with her drawing just then but her face spoke a thousand words. 

“Mommy, we can show Marcus to aunt Callie!” said Clarke, passing the elephant drawing to Callie. 

Abby suppressed a chuckle at the idea of “showing” Marcus to Callie, like he was a prize show dog or something. “Well, Marcus and aunt Callie have already met, Clarke, the night we went for a pizza with Marcus. You were asleep though.”

The doorbell rang again, and Clarke jumped up and down excitedly. “Marcus!!!!!” she squealed, and Callie gave Abby an innocent look that clearly said “this will be interesting.” Clarke ran to get the door and her excitement doubled when she opened it to find Marcus in his uniform. He’d obviously come straight from work. Clarke led him into the living room by his hand, her face alight.

“Aunt Callie! Look! Marcus is a police officer!”

Callie stood to shake his hand and said, “I know, Clarke! We’ve already met. It’s nice to see you again, Officer Kane.” She stressed the word “again” ever so slightly, and Abby threw her a warning glare.

“Oh please, it’s Marcus,” he said with a bashful smile. His eyes met Abby’s and his smile widened into a grin. “Hey. How are you?”

“Good thanks, you?” He looked even more dashing in his uniform than she’d imagined and she was feeling a little breathless. She looked from him to Callie. “Okay, you two entertain each other a moment while I fix the coffee. Clarke, do you want to give Marcus your drawing?”

She escaped to the kitchen as she heard her daughter say, “Close your eyes! Okay, now you can open them!” and she listened to Marcus’s exclamations of admiration as she prepared the cups and the coffee. He really was incredibly sweet with Clarke, he knew exactly the right things to say and the right questions to ask. 

She entered the living room with the tray of coffee and the cake to find Clarke showing Marcus and Callie how to draw a kangaroo. They were trying to copy her with disastrous results; Callie’s vaguely resembled an animal at least but Marcus’s looked like a pear with ears and Abby was reminded of his alienesque butterflies. He looked up at her with an embarrassed grin. 

“Your daughter is putting me to shame,” he said. “Art never was my forte.”

Abby placed the tray on the table and studied his drawing. “It’s not bad,” she said, biting her lip and his eyes creased into laughter. 

She poured coffee for the three of them and gave Clarke some apple juice. Clarke wanted to cut the cake so Abby helped her with the knife and they all tucked into huge wonky slices of sticky chocolate cake.

“I’m so glad Aria liked her gift, Marcus,” said Abby between mouthfuls of cake. 

“Me too. It really made my day! I have a daughter,” he explained to Callie. “But she lives with her mom, and I don’t have any contact with her unfortunately. But Abby advised me to send her a present for her birthday and her mom sent me some photos to say thank you. It’s the only news I’ve ever had of her.” 

“That’s great! But oh, that’s sad you don’t have contact with her. Have you tried asking for visitation rights?”

“Nah. Her mom doesn’t want me in her life. There’s no point.”

Callie frowned. “You have rights, you know, especially if she put your name on the child’s birth certificate. And if she didn’t you can request a DNA test to prove the child is yours.”

Marcus pondered this for a moment, then shook his head. “Things would just get messy between Maria and I. I don’t think there’s anything to be gained for Aria by creating that kind of hostility.”

“I work for a firm of family lawyers,” said Callie. “We deal with this kind of thing all the time. We know the right way to approach things, what to ask for, what to expect. And we know the law. Here.” She rummaged in her bag, and pulled out a business card. “Call me, we can help you. You deserve to be a part of your daughter’s life if you want to be.”

Marcus took the card and studied it for a second, and when he looked up there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Thank you. I’ll think about it.”

“That’s a great idea, Callie,” said Abby enthusiastically. “Why didn’t I think of that? It’s lucky you popped in this evening.”

“Fate,” said Callie, and Marcus nodded in agreement. 

“Yes. Just like Clarke tripping over my foot in the park.” 

Clarke had been colouring her kangaroo, her chocolatey face screwed up in concentration. She finished it, and held it up for the adults to see. “D’you like it?”

The drawing was exquisite, and the three adults admired it accordingly. Clarke held it out to Callie. “This one’s for you,” she said. “Because Marcus has the elephant.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” said Callie with a soft smile. 

“Let’s play snakes and ladders!” Clarke jumped up and went to fetch the game, and Abby cleared the table so that she could set it up after checking with Marcus that he was okay with the idea. 

“I  _ love  _ snakes and ladders!” he said, and Clarke beamed contentedly. She didn’t often get to play with Abby since they’d played so much Abby couldn’t actually stand the game anymore, but if Marcus and Callie were happy to play she wouldn’t object. They played three games, and Marcus won each game although Abby suspected that Clarke may have made up the rule that police officers were allowed to go  _ up  _ the snakes as well as the ladders. She was touched, though, that her daughter’s cheating was to enable Marcus to win and not herself so she just smiled to herself and said nothing. When they’d finished the third game Callie said her goodbyes and left, with a last “Call me!” to Marcus and a kiss on Clarke and Abby’s cheeks. 

Clarke was getting tired then so Abby warmed up some leftover soup and Clarke ate it watching her favourite cartoon, and Abby and Marcus moved to the kitchen so they could talk and still keep an eye on her. Marcus showed Abby the photos of Aria and the message from Maria, and Abby could swear there were tears glistening In his eyes as he showed off his daughter proudly.

Abby swiped through the photos - there were about thirty, covering the whole first year of his daughter’s life. 

“She’s walking already,” she commented. “That’s quite early, Clarke didn’t walk until fourteen months.”

“Is it? I have no idea about these things.”

Abby swiped some more, stopping when she came to a photo of Maria holding Aria as a newborn. “Is this Maria?”

“Yes.” 

“She’s really pretty.” The woman was about Abby’s age but very Italian looking, with long dark hair and eyes but a pale creamy complexion. 

Marcus let out a defeated sigh. “Yeah.”

“You’re still not over her, are you?”

He was silent, and she reached for his hand. “It’s okay, you don’t have to answer that.” She gave him his phone back and he slipped it into his pocket.

“I should get going,” he said, standing up. “You probably need to get Clarke to bed.” He hesitated. “But thank you for today, it means more to me than you can ever imagine.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, a little surprised. “But it was just coffee and cake…”

“Today is my birthday,” he blurted out awkwardly. “And if it hadn’t been for you and Clarke I’d have spent it alone with a bottle of whisky.”

Her heart shattered. “Oh Marcus. You should have said, I would have done more…” a lump formed in her throat.

“Hey. You did more than enough. I had a gift -“ he waved Clarke’s elephant drawing - “and a cake and I spent the evening with three lovely ladies. What more could a man ask for?”

His expression was so adorably grateful that she couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly to her. “Happy birthday,” she whispered. 

He stiffened at her initial hug but then his body relaxed and he hugged her back, and they stood in each other’s arms for what was probably much too long. Slowly, feeling guilty for enjoying the feel of another man’s arms around her, she extricated herself from his embrace and looked up into his dark brown eyes. “It was an honor to spend it with you.”

“Thank you.” He dropped a kiss on her head and then made his exit, ruffling Clarke’s hair as he went past. Clarke wanted a hug so he picked her up and kissed her cheek, making her giggle. 

When he’d gone, Abby flopped onto the sofa and stared unseeing at the cartoon Clarke was watching, a small smile playing on her lips as she tried not to focus on the spot on her head where his lips had touched her. 

  
  



	27. Timeline 2 pt 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kane and Abby finally go on a date, but as usual nothing ever goes smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 2: Abby learns that the attack on Vincent Vie and the photos of Clarke and Jasper are connected to a unethical practices taking place at Wallace Pharmaceuticals. Kane surprises Abby by asking her on a date and Abby finds she’s more than happy to accept. (See chapters 2, 8, 14, 19, 24.)

She spent the rest of the day mulling over her decision to meet Marcus Kane in Central Park the next day. His awkward and nervous invitation, the way he’d fidgeted and blushed, was probably one of the most endearingly romantic things she’d ever seen, and had set off a whirlwind of emotions inside her. Emotions which had already been fluttering about lazily on the breeze all week, she realised.

She cast her mind back over the events of the previous seven days. She should have listened to him, that much she knew. She’d been so sure he was just a pompous ass that she’d assumed he was just overreacting about Mr Vie and the photo, when in fact there was a very real and present danger. He was driven and a little intense, but he just wanted to do his job; keep innocent people out of harm’s way, and when he’d overstepped the mark in questioning Mr Vie, he’d been humble enough to admit his mistake, letting his guard down and deferring immediately to her judgement. She liked his honesty - he wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable but at the same time he made her feel safe, a reassuring light in a world that had suddenly turned dark. 

All of this when analysed, dissected, recomposed and reconstructed, meant that somewhere along the line she’d developed feelings for this impatient, sweet, infuriating, kind hearted, adorably awkward man. 

Oh, add hot to that list too. Incredibly hot. 

He was waiting for her at the entrance to the park when she got off the crowded Maglev the following afternoon, perched on the edge of a wall and frowning at his phone. Her tummy did a tiny flip as she took in his black button down, open at the collar and showing an unusual amount of tanned chest for him, and leather jacket. His hair was a little less tamed than when he was working and he looked good. He’d clearly made an effort for her, which made her heart flutter. He raised his head as she approached, as if sensing her arrival.

“Hey! You’re here.” His face broke into a smile of pleasure. 

Had he doubted she would be? “Of course! Sorry, I got a little held up. The Maglev was heaving.”

He slipped his phone into his pocket. “Do you want to get a drink?”

She nodded. “Sure. I’d kill for a beer.”

“Please don’t, because then I’d have to arrest you, and that would kind of put a damper on the afternoon.”

She grinned at him. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m pretty good at not getting arrested.” 

He shook his head and chuckled, and they set off in the direction of the music. It was a warm Sunday afternoon in May and the park was teeming with people. Groups of teenagers sat chatting on rugs on the grass and children wove between them on hoverscooters and rollerblades. All around pop up stalls had been set up, each selling different combinations of food and drinks, with tables and chairs scattered around. They found a table for two in the shade and Kane went to get the beer while Abby sat in the sun and watched the band, which was playing some old twenty-first century hits. 

“Have you heard from Clarke?” he asked when he returned with two enormous cold beers. “Cheers.” He clinked his glass against hers and they both drank before she answered.

“Yes. And Jake and Callie. Everything’s good.” She was touched that his first thought was for Clarke. He was never off the job. 

“I’m glad. She’ll be fine, you know.”

“Yeah.” She gave a tiny grimace. “I can’t help worrying though. I told Callie I’d message every three hours.” She took another sip of her beer. “And Jake. And Clarke. It’s the only way to keep my mind at rest.”

“It’s been a stressful week for you,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“It has,” she agreed. ”I even got yelled at by the police.”

“Ugh, that sucks.” He had the grace to look slightly ashamed. “Damn cops with their over-inflated sense of self-importance. Give me his name and I’ll have words with him.”

“Oh no, it’s okay. I wouldn’t want to get him into trouble.” She threw him a teasing look. “He’s actually pretty cute when he’s not yelling.” 

A slow smile spread across his face. “He is?”

“Yeah. Don’t tell him I said that, though. I wouldn’t want him getting a big head.” 

He grinned at her, his eyes dancing and she smiled at the pleasant tingling she felt in her veins when he looked at her like that. She loved the way his eyes twinkled when she teased him, and she had to force herself to look away or she’d sit there gazing into them all day. She could feel him still watching her, though, so she changed the subject, trying to cast the attention back on to him. “What about you? How was your week?” 

“Well, apart from the Vincent Vie case, it’s been quiet.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Surely being a detective must be more exciting than sitting around in hospitals?”

“Uh, well, let’s see.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Last weekend an old guy called the cops at midnight because he heard someone breaking into his house. Turned out he’d accidentally locked his wife in the cellar. The poor old dear had been banging away all day.”

A bubble of laughter escaped her. “All day?” she gasped. “Was she okay?” 

“She was fine, just extremely annoyed. Oh, and she’d eaten a whole jar of pickles they had stored down there. The smell was - um - not pleasant.”

“Oh God!” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Poor thing! But didn’t her husband notice she was missing?”

“He thought she’d gone to see her sister Stella,” he explained with a chuckle. “Apparently his hearing wasn’t very good, and when she told him “I’m going down to the cellar,” he understood “I’m going to see Stella.”

“Oh goodness!” She shook her head, the doctor in her immediately concerned for the woman’s wellbeing. He clearly found it amusing though, and she swatted his arm indignantly. “Marcus! It’s not funny! That poor woman!”

He was quick to catch her hand on his arm, and brought it to hold it between his own. “At last,” he said with a vaguely triumphant smirk.

“At last what?” She stared at his hands, so big compared to hers, as he ran his thumb up and down the length of her middle finger, before raising her eyes to his face in question. She hoped he wouldn’t notice that her palm was slightly damp.

“You actually used my name.”

“Oh!” She smiled at the pleased look on his face.

He released her hand to finish his beer, his eyes never leaving her face, and she did the same, the last few mouthfuls making her feel lightheaded although she couldn’t say whether that was the beer or him.

“Do you want to take a walk?” She needed to move because her head was beginning to spin. She should have had a decent lunch, she thought to herself. A yogurt and an apple wasn’t enough, but her appetite had been swallowed up in the knot of nerves in her stomach. 

“Okay. Hey! Let’s go and see the turtles in the lake. Last week there were babies, and they ride on their moms’ backs.”

She stared at him in surprise. He was such a mass of contradictions, one minute all tough NYPD detective, and the next excited to see the baby turtles. 

“What?” He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“Nothing.” She smiled. “You just - surprise me, that’s all.” She stood up and followed him towards the path.

They made their way through the throngs of people, and he took her hand so as not to lose her. There were stalls along the path selling merchandise of the bands performing as well as other famous bands - T-shirts, baseball caps, phone cases, jewellery and other souvenirs. Abby stopped to look at the bracelets of Clarke’s favourite group and decided to buy her a black band with the group’s name written in steel letters. Clarke would love it, and although Abby didn’t believe gifts were the way to earn her daughter’s affection, sometimes a token to show she’d been thinking of her was a nice gesture. 

Like she was thinking of anything  _ but  _ Clarke at the moment.

She paid for the bracelet and turned to find Marcus, who was trying on sunglasses at the other end of the stall. He was wearing a pair of mirrored sunglasses and waving another pair at her to catch her attention, and she couldn’t help chuckling at the goofy look on his face. 

“They suit you!” she remarked as he tried the other pair on. They were similar, just a slightly different shape, and with his dark unruly hair and dazzling smile he was truly breathtaking. “Are you going to buy them?”

“No.” He took them off and handed them back. “I already have too many pairs. Did you get something for Clarke?”

“Yes.” She showed him the bracelet as they set off in the direction of the lake.

“Oh, she likes TonDC? She has great taste! You know they’re coming to New York in September?”

“Yes,” she said. “But the tickets cost a fortune.” Abby had wanted to get Clarke tickets as a birthday present, but they cost half of her salary. 

“Maybe I can help,” he said. “There’ll be police presence at the concert, and there are usually free passes floating around. I’ll see what I can do. Don’t say anything to her, though, in case it doesn’t work out. I don’t want her to be disappointed.”

“Thank you,” she said, a little at a loss for words that he’d do that for her daughter.

They spent a happy half an hour browsing the stalls and then headed for the lake, where there were several turtles swimming with babies on their backs, much to their delight. Abby took some photos on her phone, and they sat on a bench while she messaged Clarke, sending her a photo of the turtles as an “excuse” to contact her. Clarke’s reply was short and to the point - “Cute! Off to the beach x” - but it was all she needed to know that everything was normal in her daughter’s world. She showed Marcus and he nodded in satisfaction. 

She was just about to put her phone away when another message came through. “Who are you at the park with?”

Marcus smirked. “Are you going to tell her?”

She bit her lip. “I don’t know. Do you think I should?”

He shrugged. “Why not? We’re just two friends spending an afternoon together, right?”

Two  _ friends.  _ She liked the sound of that. She held up the phone in front of her and glanced at him mischievously. “Let’s send her a selfie. She’ll be stunned.” 

He shuffled closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against him and resting his cheek against her temple in a classic selfie pose. She clicked the photo and sent it to Clarke, who answered a split second later.

“OMG!!! You’re at the park with  _ Kane?????  _ GO MOM!!! Say hi to him for me!”

“Looks like she approves,” he said smugly, reading over her shoulder and not removing his arm that was still firmly around her. 

“Oh, she does. She hasn’t stopped talking about you since you brought her home the other night.” 

They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the singer crooning a ballad with a soothing melody. She closed her eyes and rested her head back against his arm, enjoying the sun on her face, and letting the tension of the week ebb out of her. Clarke was safe with Jake, and here in the relaxed atmosphere of the park the horrors of Wallace Pharmaceuticals seemed lightyears away. 

“Hey.” His soft voice penetrated her thoughts. “Are you falling asleep on me?”

She opened her eyes. “Nearly. Sorry. I think it’s just the beer.”

“It’s okay. Sleep if you want to. You’re probably exhausted.” He shifted his arm slightly, pulling her against him so that she was more comfortable, and she relaxed into the solid warmth of him.

“No, it’s okay.” She didn’t want to sleep, but she also didn’t want to move from his arms, so she stayed where she was. Her phone pinged again and she glanced down at it.  _ Callie _ . She opened the message and burst into laughter. 

_ “YOU’RE ON A DATE WITH MARCUS KANE???” _

“I think we’ve caused a stir in the Griffin household,” she giggled, putting her phone away. She’d answer Callie later, because she was going to have a  _ lot _ to tell her friend.

“Isn’t it difficult sometimes, your best friend being married to your ex-husband?” His tone was curious and not at all judgemental.

“No,” she replied at once. “I’m glad they’re happy together. Jake wasn’t the right man for me, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want him to be happy. And I’m glad that Clarke has at least one of her parents in a happy marriage. It’s good for her to see what a healthy relationship looks like.”

He was quiet for a moment, staring at the lake, and when he spoke his voice was full of awe. “You’re amazing, Abby. I think you’re the most selfless person I know.”

She lifted her head, looked up at him in surprise at the sudden compliment. “Oh, I’m sure that’s not true,” she protested, but he just shook his head and went on.

“It is. Remember the affair with the blood sample, and you wouldn’t accept my warrant? At first I was mad as hell at you, because I thought you were just making my life difficult. But then I realised you really were prepared to be arrested in order to protect your patient’s rights. No other doctor would have put themselves on the line like that, with no thought for themselves. I loved your courage, your compassion. How you stood up for what you believed in.”

Warmth flooded through her. His words were completely unexpected; she’d had no idea he saw her this way. 

“Is that why you didn’t arrest me?” she asked.

He shook his head with a smile. “No. You didn’t get arrested because the patient’s brother arrived in the nick of time. If he hadn’t, I would have had to arrest you, but believe me I was as relieved as you were that I didn’t have to.” He leaned closer, as if imparting a secret. “Don’t ever tell anyone this, but I was rooting for you all the way.”

“Oh,” she breathed, a little at a loss for words. “I had no idea.” He was looking at her with such reverence in his dark brown eyes, so tender and yet so incredibly sexy, that her heart skipped a beat. His eyes roamed her face and suddenly all she was aware of was  _ him _ , his scent and warmth, his arm around her shoulder, holding her against him, and her own heart pounding with anticipation… 

A sudden vibration startled them both and they jumped apart, laughing nervously. 

“Great timing,” he said with a grimace as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. The laughter died on his lips when he looked at the screen. “Oh God. Sorry, I need to get this. It’s police business.” 

She nodded, and he stood and moved away for privacy, leaving her feeling strangely bereft and alone in the cool evening air. She felt a little high on his compliments, her mouth still stretched into a smile and she closed her eyes briefly as she tried to process what was happening here. He’d been about to kiss her, she was sure. She picked up her jacket and slipped it on and watched as he paced up and down, his handsome face creased with concentration as he listened.

“What is it?” she asked when he ended the call and returned to her, his face ashen. “Oh God, is it Mr Vie?

“No, don’t worry, he’s fine, but there’s another problem, and I need you to ask you a favour.” He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, I’ll explain on the way to the hospital.”

………………………….

  
  


“A patient was admitted this evening,” he explained when they were in his car and driving through the New York streets. 

“Another attack?” Her blood ran cold. How far was Wallace prepared to go to silence people? 

“Not an attack, no. But the patient is an employee of Wallace, a janitor by the name of Bellamy Blake.”

“Oh. And what has this got to do with me?”

“I need to know what happened to him.”

“And you want me to go find out?”

“Yes. I can’t go into the hospital. My presence will draw attention to him, and I don’t want Wallace to know that we suspect anything is amiss. There’s no reason for the police to be involved at this point.” He glanced at her. “But nobody will suspect you going in and asking questions.”

“Well, I’m off duty. People might raise an eyebrow.”

“Say you left something in your office. Your phone charger or something, and you just popped in to get it. Then, being the conscientious doctor that you are, check that everything is okay with the patients. And take it from there.”

“You really do think of everything,” she said dryly.

“It’s my job,” he said briefly, and then lapsed into silence, clearly lost in thought. He drove quickly but skillfully, never aggressively which surprised Abby. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, but his eyes never left the road, his jaw tense and his brow furrowed. Only once, when they were stopped at a red light, did he seem to remember that she was there and he gave her a warm smile and squeezed her hand.

When they got to the hospital he parked in the reserved spaces and turned to her, his face serious. 

“Okay, so try to be as casual as you can. Don’t hone in on him, and don’t let anyone know you suspect anything untoward. Just try to find out what happened, if they’ve done any tests and what they’ve found, if the results are back. And  _ ideally,  _ I’d like him discharged as soon as possible. I don’t believe he’s safe there.”

“I can’t discharge a patient when I’m not on duty, Marcus, and especially not if he needs medical care.”

“I know that. I’d never ask you to do anything unethical.” 

“Okay. Thank you.” 

“Be as quick as you can, okay? I’ll wait here.” 

She nodded and opened the door, but he stopped her with his hand on her arm. “Be careful. Keep your eyes open, and if you see anything suspicious get the hell out of there.”

  
  


…………...

  
  


Inside the hospital, she walked quickly to her office, where luckily she had a spare charger for her phone because her battery rarely lasted the day. She’d have to remember to bring it back the next morning. She took it from her drawer and went in search of information about Bellamy Blake. 

Diana was on duty, sitting at the nurses’ station alone filling in records alone, and she raised a questioning look to Abby when she saw her. 

“Abby! What are you doing here on your day off?”

Abby waved the phone charger at her. “I needed my charger. Everything quiet?” she queried, and Diana nodded. 

“Yeah, just one new patient, a twenty-year-old man, admitted in a state of confusion. He didn’t know where he was or what his name was, so his kid sister called the ambulance. We did a CT scan to check for head trauma, and ran blood tests because we thought it might be substance abuse. His arm is full of needle marks.”

“Are the tests back?”

“Yes. Nothing on them though. The CT scan is clear, and whatever he’s taken isn’t showing up in his blood work. Dr Green gave him a mild sedative because he was in a state of panic but his stats are fine. He’ll probably be discharged tomorrow.”

Abby moved behind the desk, frowning as her eyes scanned the screen of blood results. “How is it possible nothing is showing up?”

“We might just not know what we’re looking for.” said Diana. 

“Right. True.” Abby surreptitiously clicked to send a copy of the results to her work email. She wanted to look at them more closely. “Okay, I’ll see him when I’m in at eight. Night Diana.” 

“Night, Abby.”

Abby hurried out of the hospital and back to where Marcus was waiting for her in the car, in a clear state of agitation. His hair was standing up on end where he’d been running his hands through it while he waited. 

“How did it go?” 

“It’s okay, he’s fine. He was brought in in a state of confusion. Apparently his sister called the ambulance because he couldn’t remember where he was. Nothing showed up on the blood tests, though, and the CT scan was clear. But, he has needle marks on both of his arms, so he’s obviously taking something.”

“Shit.” He exhaled. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“You think he’s on drugs?”

“I think he’s being forced to take drugs. Remember what I said about the experiments?”

“Oh, Marcus. That’s awful.”

He started the car without another word and began to drive in the direction of her house. They didn’t speak during the journey, each lost in their own thoughts, but the silence was comfortable. When he pulled up outside her house he switched the engine off, and she wondered if she should invite him in. She wasn’t really ready for their date to come to an end, but she sensed he was too preoccupied to think about - well, whatever they’d be doing if she invited him in. She grew slightly warm at the thought. 

“Can you let me know when Bellamy Blake is discharged? I’m going to need to talk to him. Convince him to press charges.” His expression was conflicted. “It’s not going to be easy, though.”

She took her seat belt off and turned in her seat to face him. “You’ll do it. I know you will.” 

“Thank you.” His face broke into a tiny smile of hope. “There’s still more I need to tell you, but it’s late and it can wait till tomorrow.” 

Her heart plummeted. There was more? “Okay.”

“Can you come to mine after work tomorrow? I’ll cook you dinner and then we can talk.”

“You want to cook for me?” Was he ever going to stop surprising her?

“I would be honored to.”

“Okay. Thank you, I’d like that!”

A slightly pained look crossed his face. “I mean, I take it you like chicken nuggets, right? Because that’s all I can cook.”

A giggle escaped her at the thought of a romantic dinner consisting of chicken nuggets. 

“You may laugh,” he said with a grin. “But I’m serious.”

She tried to smother her giggles but failed. “Chicken nuggets will be fine!”

“Great! Is seven good for you?”

“Yes, that’s perfect. I finish at five.” She’d have plenty of time to come home and get ready.

“Okay, I’ll see you then. And Abby? Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Anything I can do to help -“

“I didn’t mean that. I meant thank you for  _ everything.  _ For today.”

She hesitated, then leaned towards him to place a simple chaste kiss on his cheek, but he immediately reached for her, pulling her to him. A small knowing smile played across both of their faces before his mouth met hers, wonderfully soft and warm. She brought her hand to his jaw, drawing him in closer, their lips and tongues chasing each other until she pulled away and he sucked gently on her bottom lip, not wanting to let her go. They stayed where they were for a moment, smiling at each other, eyes locked, until finally she moved away with a happy little sigh. 

“Goodnight, Marcus.” 

“Goodnight, Abby.” 

She opened the door and got out, and he was still sitting in his car watching her when she slipped inside her front door with a last little wave. She closed the door, an inane grin plastered on her face, and she heard his car drive off into the night.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	28. Timeline 1 pt 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake has some news for Abby, and Abby and Marcus have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in Timeline 1: Abby has decided to file for divorce against Jake, but a chance meeting in the park sets off a chain of events that bring Abby and Marcus closer. (See chapters 1,7,13,18,23 & 26).

The following Saturday, Abby was woken up by a small hurricane whirling into her room and jumping onto her bed. 

“Ooof! Clarke!” she grumbled from under the duvet.

“Mommy wake up! Marcus is coming to take me in the police car!”

Abby opened one eye and peered at the clock. Five twenty am. “He’s coming after lunch, honey. It’s still night time now; see how dark it is outside? It’s not time to wake up yet.”

“I can’t sleep,” whined Clarke. “I’m too excited.”

“Let’s try, okay? Come here next to me.” Clarke snuggled under the covers next to Abby, and Abby held her close, revelling in her daughter’s soft chubbiness, although her arm in plaster was hard and rough between them and Abby was careful not to hurt her. She kissed her head. “Now, close your eyes, and don’t open them till I tell you to.” It was a useful trick she used with Clarke. It was pointless telling a four-year-old to go back to sleep, because that was the last thing they ever wanted to do, but if she approached it almost like a game, to see who could keep their eyes closed, quite often tiredness stepped in and Clarke drifted off again for an hour or two. Abby lay in the dark, listening to Clarke’s breathing gradually calm, and a sense of peace flooded through her. She was just drifting off herself when Clarke spoke.

“Is that enough, mommy?”

Abby groaned inwardly. “No, Clarke. It’s still night time.”

“How long until morning?”

“A few more minutes.” Clarke had no idea of the concept of time, so making it seem less was more likely to placate her. In response Clarke turned slightly to face Abby, placing a chubby hand on her cheek and bringing her nose to bump against Abby’s. 

“Mommy,” she whispered, her breath warm and sweet even after the night’s sleep. “I’m gonna help Marcus catch a thief.”

Abby couldn’t help but smile, her heart filling with love at her daughter’s innocence. “You are,” she agreed. “But you know you have to be a good girl for Marcus, and sit still, because otherwise the thief might get away.”

Clarke would be doing nothing of the kind, of course. The truth was that Marcus had offered to take Clarke for a drive around the block in his police car. It was a quiet neighbourhood and perfectly safe, but Clarke was beside herself with excitement, convinced that she was going to be helping to bring down every criminal in New York.

Seeing that sleep was an impossibility with Clarke this morning, Abby reluctantly dragged herself out of bed, glaring at the clock which was now showing five forty-five am, and they went downstairs for breakfast. Clarke sat at the kitchen table, swinging her legs happily, as Abby made her oatmeal and toast and fixed coffee for herself. She couldn’t even eat at this time of the morning but Clarke polished off a bowl of oatmeal and two slices of toast, chattering all the time about her upcoming trip in the police car. 

It was at times like this that she missed Jake. Jake was a morning person, he’d have had no problem getting up with Clarke, and would have let Abby sleep in, knowing how grumpy she could be when she was sleep deprived. He’d have woken her up around nine with breakfast in bed, and they’d have watched the morning news together while Clarke played with her toys on the bedroom floor. 

Clarke finished her breakfast and ran off to play, and Abby picked up her phone to check for messages. There was a last message from Marcus, confirming he’d be here around two, and she giggled at the gif he’d sent her of a baby falling asleep in his food, clearly sent when he’d realised she’d fallen asleep on him. They’d been texting each other on and off all evening, but she’d crashed around ten thirty and his last message had come through just before eleven.

There was also a message from Jake, and this one made her heart plummet. “Abby, I need to speak to you today. It’s urgent. Please pick up. Tell me when it's good for you.”

She sighed. If she was going to talk to him it would be better when Clarke was with Marcus, because it was bound to end in tears again and she’d rather Clarke didn’t see her crying. She typed back, “How about two?” and went to get dressed.

They went to the park for an hour, and then went home to make homemade pizza for lunch, which passed a little time. The days were interminable when they began before six am. At two o’clock, Clarke rushed to get her police officer’s hat, because of course she had to be dressed for the job, and sat by the window waiting for Marcus. He arrived punctually as ever and Clarke was out the door before Abby could stop her. Luckily Marcus was already coming up the garden path and intercepted her, picking her up and admiring her police officer’s hat.

“Clarke! How many times have I told you not to run out of the front door like that!” Abby scolded her daughter, and Clarke had the grace to look sheepish.

“Your mom’s right, Clarke,” Marcus rejoined. “You shouldn’t do that, okay? It’s a rule, and police officers have to follow the rules.”

“No,” said Clarke cheekily. “They make sure other people follow the rules.”

Abby and Marcus looked at each other, trying not to laugh. Marcus shook his head. “No, they also have to follow the rules. Otherwise how can they expect other people to follow them?”

Clarke pondered this for a moment, and then dismissed it as entirely uninteresting. “Can we go now?”

“Okay, have you got your radio too? You’ll need that.”

Clarke ran off to get it, and Marcus turned to Abby, his eyes narrowed with concern. “Are you okay? You seem tired.”

“Clarke was awake just after five,” she said and he groaned.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry. Was she excited?”

“Just a little bit, yeah.” She gave a sad smile. “And now I need to speak to Jake. He said it’s urgent, but I could do without it today.”

“Oh.” He grimaced. “Well, if you like we can talk when we get back. How long do you need?”

“Half an hour? Is that okay? I’m sorry to put this on you…”

“It’s fine. We’ll stop to check for clues in the park.” He winked and squeezed her shoulder, and she brought her hand to cover his. “Good luck.”

“Thank you.” 

Clarke was back then with her bright pink walkie talkie, and Marcus took her hand and led her out to the car. Clarke didn’t even look back, and Abby closed the door, shaking her head affectionately at her daughter’s love of adventure. Going into the living room, she opened the laptop and waited for Jake’s call, a sense of foreboding in her heart.

The call came through almost immediately, and Abby’s heart lurched when Jake’s face filled her screen. He looked terrible, his eyes sunken and gaunt, his face pale and washed out, and he was unshaven which was unusual for him. He smiled when he saw her though, and goddammit his smile still warmed her heart no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

“How are you?” she asked, not even needing to hear his answer, because it was right there on the screen in front of her. 

“Surviving,” he said with a smile. “You? You look well.”

She bristled slightly. Was he trying to make her feel guilty, because she didn’t look as bad as he felt? “Actually, I’m exhausted,” she said. “Clarke was up at five twenty, and so was I, but hey that’s just part of being a single parent, right?”

He flinched. “I’m sorry.”

She wasn’t sure what he was sorry for, but at this point it wasn’t important. “What did you want to talk about, Jake? What’s so urgent?”

He stared at her for a moment. “I’ve applied for a transfer to the ground,” he said. “And today I got news that it was accepted. So, I’m coming home.”

His words stunned her. “Home? For good?”

“Yes. I want to try to save our marriage, Abby. Nothing is more important to me than you and Clarke. I can’t lose you.”

“Oh God, Jake…” a mixture of emotions whirled within her. In one sense it was everything she wanted, but at the same time a tiny flash of anger shot through her.  _ Now  _ he was doing this? Just when she’d found the courage to make a decision, he pulled the carpet from under her feet. 

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not expecting this to make everything right, and I’m not expecting you to be ecstatic. I know I’ve fucked up, I know that. I know I’ve hurt you. All I’m asking is that you give us a chance. Please.”

She shook her head in bewilderment. “I don’t know, Jake. I don’t think you’ll be happy living here. I know how important working on Alpha is to you. What if you decide you can’t live here, and leave us again? I don’t think I have the energy to deal with that…”

“Abby, I don’t give a damn about this goddamn place. The  _ only  _ thing that matters is you, and Clarke. It always has been. I just… didn’t realise it. I’ve been so stupid, and selfish. I wanted to believe I was so important to this space station that they couldn’t do without me, and so important to you that you would still love me, even though I was never there. And now - I see that I’m not that important to anyone. No one is. Alpha can do without me, and so can you and Clarke.” He gave a little scoff of self disgust. “I really thought you would just always be there, but that’s not how marriages work, is it? They need to be nurtured, worked at.”

She nodded silently. This was the first time she’d ever heard him talk like this. He’d never been overtly arrogant, but he was quietly confident in his abilities as an engineer, and when he was home as a father and husband, which was one of the things Abby loved about him. Now it seemed that he was realising that his confidence had slipped into complacency.

“I’m so sorry, Abby, more than you can ever imagine. Please, give me one more chance. I won’t come and live at home, if you don’t want me there. We need to get to know each other again, little by little, on neutral ground. See if our marriage can be saved. What do you say?”

She shook her head slowly, more in confusion than in refusal. “Can I think about it?”

He deflated a tiny bit, but tried to cover it up by nodding in agreement. “Of course you can, but I’m coming home anyway. Even if you decide… if you decide it’s too late for us, I can save my relationship with Clarke.” He paused. “I love you, so much. As much as I did the day I married you. I can’t lose you without doing everything I can to fix this mess.”

His words made her well up. “When will you be back?” she asked, her voice rough.

“Next Friday. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to come and see you and Clarke on Saturday. We can talk, and see where it goes from there. If you want me to stay with my mom, that’s fine.”

“Okay.” She sniffed. “We can talk on Saturday. But I can’t promise anything, Jake. I don’t know how I feel anymore.”

“I understand that, and I can’t ask any more.” His face was sad and hopeful all at once and she suddenly felt overwhelmed with exhaustion. 

“I have to go,” she said. “Clarke will be back soon, and I don’t want her to see me crying again.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s with a friend. He’s a cop, and he took her for a ride in his car.”

“Oh.” His face softened into a smile. “I bet she’ll love that.”

“She was pretty excited, yeah.”

“So, uh. This cop. Are you very good friends with him?”

“Yeah, actually. We’ve become close. His name is Marcus. Clarke adores him.” She wasn’t going to lie, he would meet Marcus soon anyway. Clarke wouldn’t be able to shut up about him for a start.

A dozen different emotions flickered across his face, but he just said, “I’m glad.” She was pretty sure he wasn’t but she could see he realised jealousy wasn’t going to solve anything right now.

“I’ll see you next week,” she said tiredly. “We’ll be able to talk better. About everything.”

“Okay. Bye Abby. Give Clarke a hug from me and tell her I love her and miss her.”

She stayed lost in thought for a long time after he ended the call, trying to order her thoughts. Jake coming back to the ground for good, of his own volition, was everything she wanted, so why wasn’t she ecstatic at the news? She lay her head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, an emptiness opening up inside her. Things were no longer as simple as they had been, and she knew exactly why. 

Clarke’s excited chatter outside roused her up, and she got up to open the door, plastering a fake smile of excitement on her face. 

“Mommy!” Clarke cried, running into her arms. “We saved a dog! He was lost, and I held him while Marcus called the man and then we took him home! An’ Marcus said I was very helpful!” She stopped to draw a breath, her face a picture of excitement.

“That’s great! How exciting! And well done for helping Marcus! I’m so proud of you!” She was gushing a little, she knew, trying to find an enthusiasm she didn’t really feel. She turned to Marcus. “Are you coming in for a bit?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Do you - want me to?”

She nodded, and he understood immediately. They went through to the living room and Clarke immediately took her sketch pad and pencils and went to her drawing table.

“I’m gonna draw a picture of the dog, so Marcus can take it to the police station.”

“That’s a great idea, sweetheart,” said Abby, and she could see from the look on Marcus’s face that it had been his idea, to keep Clarke occupied so that they could talk. She nodded to him to come through to the kitchen. “Coffee?”

He followed her through and took a seat at the kitchen table, in the same seat he’d sat in to show her his photos of Aria. She busied herself making coffee and a snack for Clarke, and when they both had steaming mugs in front of them she sat down opposite him. 

“So,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Are you alright?”

She shook her head vaguely, then nodded, then shook her head again. “Jake’s coming home. For good.”

His face broke into a smile. “That’s great! Isn’t it?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed. “He says he wants to fix our marriage, that nothing is more important to him than me and Clarke.”

He didn’t say anything, just waited for her to go on. 

“I can see he’s suffering. He looks awful, like he hasn’t slept for a month. And it breaks my heart. But at the same time… I don’t know if I want to fix our marriage anymore. I don’t know if it can be fixed and I don’t know if it’s what I want.”

“When’s he coming home?”

“He’ll be here on Saturday.”

“Abby, you have to try. What have you got to lose? Worst happens, it doesn’t work out and you go through with the divorce. But at least you’ll know you did everything you could to make things work.”

He was right, she knew it, but as she looked into his eyes, so dark and intense, she felt a lump rising in her throat. 

“The thing is,” she said bleakly. “That things aren’t so simple anymore.” She took a deep breath. “You see, I think I may… have feelings… for someone else.” She sank her head into her hands, unable to meet his gaze.

“Oh.” He sounded taken aback. “That does complicate things. Does… does this other person feel the same way?”

“I don’t know.” She raised her eyes to his. “Does he?”

He stared at her in confusion, and then his eyes widened as realisation dawned on him. “Oh, Abby.” His voice was low with disbelief. “Oh God. I had no idea.”

“I take it that’s a no, then,” she said with a sad smile. 

“I - no. I mean it’s not a no. I like you a lot, of course I do. You and Clarke… you’ve changed my life.” He took her hand. “But I’m a mess, Abby. I’m not in the right place to get into another relationship, especially not with someone who’s still married, and confused, and doesn’t really know what she wants.”

She huffed a sigh. “Yeah.”

“I just got my heart broken once,” he said thickly. “And it nearly destroyed me. I don’t know if I could go through that again. I think it’ll be a long time before I can trust anyone, or let myself feel that sort of emotion again.”

A tear slid down her cheek at his words, and he wiped it away with his thumb. “Hey. Please don’t cry.” He got up to get her a tissue, and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

“I’m sorry. I feel so stupid.”

“No, please don’t. I’m so happy to have met you. You’re a truly amazing woman, and your friendship and kindness mean the world to me. And of course I’m attracted to you. You’re beautiful.” He smiled fondly and she blushed. “But I think - when you look at me, you see someone who needs to be saved. And that makes you feel good, because you feel needed. Because on the contrary, you feel like Jake doesn’t need you.”

She was shocked by the brutal honesty of his words. Did she just want to save him? She didn’t even know how to save herself. She closed her eyes against his gaze which seemed to see into her soul. What a mess.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I should never have said anything.” This whole conversation had been a mistake.

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad you felt you could, and anyway, it’s better that we both know where we stand, right?” He chewed on his lip thoughtfully. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Okay. Close your eyes, and think back to the day before you told Jake you wanted a divorce. Two days before we met.”

She did as he said. “Okay.”

“Now imagine that Jake has just told you he’s coming back to the ground, because he wants to be with you and Clarke. How do you feel?”

A smile spread over her face. “Happy. Relieved.” She thought for a moment. “Hopeful.”

“Okay. That’s what you have to cling on to. That’s what makes your marriage worth saving. You can’t throw that away over me, a messed up, broken man with trust issues. That would be a huge mistake.” His expression grew pained. “And from an entirely selfish point of view, I couldn’t live with myself for inflicting the kind of pain on Jake and Clarke that Maria inflicted on me. Does that make sense?”

Her heart swelled with affection for him. “You’re a wonderful person, Marcus, and your friendship means the world to me and Clarke, too. I hope one day you’ll find happiness again.”

“Thank you. Maybe one day.” His eyes creased softly. “ But first I just want to concentrate on getting my daughter back. Callie’s written the draft letter to Maria’s lawyer. I’m meeting her on Monday to go over it.” He stood up. “I should go, I have to get back to work.”

She nodded, and followed him to the door, passing Clarke who had passed out from exhaustion on the couch. Abby moved her into a more comfortable position and placed a rug over her. 

Marcus stopped to smile at her tenderly.  “Too much excitement.” He opened the door to leave, but Abby stopped him, her hand on his arm. 

“This won’t - what I’ve told you today - it won’t change anything between us, right? Because I don’t want to lose your friendship, and I’d hate for Clarke to lose another person in her life because I fucked up and said the wrong thing…” she trailed off. Clarke’s life was likely to be bumpy enough over the next few months while she and Jake tried to work things out. “I don’t want there to be an elephant in the room, you know?”

He blinked a little before realising what she meant. “No elephants,” he said solemnly. “More like - an adorable puppy. Is that better?” 

“Yeah,” she smiled, his dorky comment lifting her spirits. “That’s much better.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	29. Timeline 2 pt 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby and Marcus have dinner, and Abby discovers a dark secret about Marcus’s past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on timeline 2: Abby and Marcus have grown closer as they work together to solve the mystery of an attack on an employee of Wallace Pharmaceuticals. Their first date at a music festival in Central Park ended with a trip to the hospital when another Wallace employee was admitted. (See chapters 2, 8, 14, 19, 24, & 27.)

Abby awoke the next morning with a smile on her face and the memory of Marcus’s kiss still fresh in her mind, despite the worrying turn the afternoon had taken. She got to work early, since she didn’t have to take Clarke to school, to find Bellamy Blake awake and eating breakfast. She read over his notes again, searching for some clue as to what had caused the episode of confusion, but there was nothing. When he’d finished eating and had been to the bathroom, she knocked on his door and introduced herself.

“Mr Blake? I’m Dr Abby Griffin. I just wanted to see how you’re feeling this morning.”

“I feel fine,” he said cheerfully. “Can I go home?”

“Not so fast,” she said with a smile. “We need to find out what caused you to be so confused your sister felt the need to call an ambulance.”

“I probably banged my head. Nothing serious.”

“You don’t remember?”

He deflated a little. “No.”

She studied him closely. He was a good looking kid, olive-skinned with a dash of freckles on his nose and a smile that lit up the room. He could probably be quite the charmer, she thought, but there was an innocence to him too. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, and when a teenage girl poked her head in something clicked in Abby’s mind. It was the young girl from the clinic last week, the one who had asked about heroin addiction.

“Bell? Oh, sorry. Should I wait outside?” Something resembling panic flickered across her face as her eyes met Abby’s. She didn’t want Bellamy to know that they had already met. 

“Just a moment, please,” she said, showing no signs of recognition. The head disappeared and Abby turned her attention back to Bellamy. “Your sister?”

“Yeah. Octavia.”

“Okay, I’m going to have a word with her about what happened. But I’m afraid we’re going to keep you here for another twenty-four hours. We’ll do some more tests, and keep you under observation.” She turned over his arm, revealing the needle marks on the soft smooth skin underneath. “Bellamy, have you ever taken drugs?” 

“No.” His answer was decisive, his mouth and chin defiant.

“Do you know what these marks are?”

“Just a rash, maybe an allergy.”

“Hmmm.” He must take her for an idiot, but it wasn’t her place to judge him. “Okay, try to rest, and I’ll talk to you later. Just ring if you need anything, okay?” She flashed him her best bedside manner smile and his expression softened a little, the defiance leaving his face as he returned her smile.

Octavia was waiting outside, and Abby went through the motions of introducing herself for Bellamy’s benefit, then led the girl to her office where she sat her down in the chair opposite the desk. She pulled her chair up next to Octavia’s, not wanting the girl to feel intimidated.

“How are you?” Abby’s heart went out to the girl; she looked terrified. When she didn’t answer, Abby went on. “He’s going to be okay, you know. And don’t worry, he doesn’t know that we’ve already met. I’m assuming it was Bellamy you came to me about?”

Octavia nodded, and her eyes filled with tears. “I was so scared,” she whispered. “He didn’t even remember who I was.”

“Well, he does now,” Abby reassured her. “He just told me your name.”

“Oh!” Octavia’s expression lifted considerably. “That’s good. Until next time, I guess.”

“We’re going to do everything we can to find out what caused it, and hopefully prevent it happening again.” She hoped she wasn’t making promises she couldn’t keep. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“He got home from work, and he was a bit more irritated than usual. He kept snapping for no reason. Then I realised he was irritated because he couldn’t remember things. He shouted at me because he couldn’t find his glasses, when he’d just put them on the table, and then got mad because I hadn’t been to school but it was Sunday. He didn’t even know what day it was. I tried to calm him down, and at a certain point he looked at me and yelled, “Who the hell even are you, anyway?” and told me to get out of his house. I took my phone and called the ambulance from the front garden. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You did the right thing,” Abby said soothingly. “He might have unwittingly hurt himself if you hadn’t. Does he often work on Sundays?”

“No. He’s been doing extra shifts. I don’t know why.”

“Okay. Is there another adult who lives with you and Bellamy?”

“No. Bellamy’s my guardian. We live alone.” Octavia stuck her chin out in the same defiant way that Bellamy had. These kids were tough, thought Abby, her heart going out to them. And proud.

She sent Octavia off to see Bellamy after that, after reminding her again that she could call her if she needed anything. Switching on her computer, she booked Bellamy in for an MRI scan later that afternoon, and then picked up her phone to call Marcus. He answered on the second ring and she figured he must have been waiting for her call. 

“Abby! Hi.” He sounded pleased to hear from her, and butterflies fluttered as she heard his voice. “How’s Bellamy?”

“He seems fine this morning,” she said. “But I want to do some more tests. I can’t let him go home today, I’m afraid.”

“Okay.” He sounded more resigned than disappointed. “Let me know if you find anything. Oh, and can you say he’s not allowed to have visitors? Except his sister, of course.”

“Yes, of course. I already did.”

“Great. Thank you.” She could hear the appreciation in his voice. 

“I’ll see you tonight,” she added.

“I can’t wait,” he said softly, and her heart nearly melted. 

“Me neither. Bye Marcus.”

  
  


…………………………..

  
  


As much as she was looking forward to seeing Marcus that evening, she was dreading hearing what he had to say about Wallace. She rushed home after work and showered and changed into her favorite beige shift dress and sandals since the temperature was hitting the eighties despite the short thunderstorm that had drenched the city as she was driving home. When she pulled up outside his condo just after seven the sun was shining again although the sidewalks were shining with water.

She climbed out of her car and reached in to lift out her handbag - slightly fuller than usual as she had prepared for a possible overnight stay which she knew was presumptuous but it was always better to be prepared. As she straightened up and closed the car door, a pick-up drove by, hitting an enormous puddle too fast and soaking her with water from head to foot. Spluttering in dismay, she looked down at her dress, which was wet and clinging to her, and nearly see-through in all the wrong places. 

She swore long and hard under her breath. All that time getting ready and she was going to turn up for dinner with Marcus looking like a drowned rat. She debated whether she had time to go home and get changed but decided against it. She was already a little late and she figured Marcus would have towels and maybe even a dryer. And besides, she thought as she locked the car. He’d probably find it hilarious. 

She took the elevator to the twentieth floor and knocked at the door of his apartment. He opened the door almost immediately, looking infuriatingly gorgeous in a soft white shirt worn outside his jeans, and his eyes widened in a silent question before his mouth twisted into a smile which he quickly tried to hide. 

“Abby! What -?”

“Don’t even ask,” she said, shaking her dripping head in warning but she only succeeded in making his eyes light up even more. 

“You know, if I didn’t know better I’d think you just liked showing me your underwear,” he teased and she glared at him, although it was no use, his amusement was infectious and he was making her smile too. 

“I swear to God, Marcus…” she began but he just pulled her into the room and into his arms, pushing the door closed behind her. 

“You look lovely anyway.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, silencing her protests. “Would you like a towel?”

“Yes, please.”

Taking her hand, he led her through to the bathroom, where he handed her a big grey fluffy towel. “I’m afraid I don’t have any dresses,” he grinned. “But if you like I can lend you a T-shirt while I put your dress in the dryer.”

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom wearing his white T-shirt which reached halfway down her thighs and with her hair dried and floating loose. She looked around curiously, taking in his apartment. It was modern but cosy with soft lights and muted colours, very different from the chaotic brightness of her house. The table was set for two and there were two wine glasses full of red wine on the side, and he passed one to her as she approached. 

“Is red okay?”

“It’s perfect. Thank you.” She stepped closer to him to clink her glass against his, then peered into the saucepan of boiling water. “That’s a strange way to cook chicken nuggets.”

He chuckled. “I was kidding about that.”

“Oh thank God. I hate them.”

“I’d be worried if you didn’t,” he laughed, but then his face grew serious. “You really thought I was cooking chicken nuggets, and you still came for dinner.”

She shrugged and slid onto one of the stools at the island, her wine in her hand. “Of course. I came for the company.”

He smiled at her warmly, and she couldn’t help notice that his eyes dropped briefly to her bare legs.

“- and because we need to talk about Wallace.”

“Ugh. Yeah.” He wrinkled his nose in distaste. “Later though, okay? First let’s just have dinner. Here, try this.” He held out a spoon with a tiny drop of tomato sauce on the tip and she leaned forward and took it in her mouth. 

“Wow. That’s delicious. Is it amatriciana? Where did you learn to cook like this?”

“I studied in Italy for a year during college,” he said, looking pleased at her approval. “I learned to cook, drive badly and chat up women in Italian.” He drained the pasta, and she was relieved to see that it wasn’t spaghetti, which was  _ not  _ romantic to eat on a first date. Second date, she corrected herself. First dinner. He served them two plates of pasta and they sat at the island, him at right angles to her so that their knees bumped under the table. 

“You can speak Italian?” she asked, intrigued. She took a mouthful of pasta, which was amazing, rich and smoky with just a hint of garlic. 

He took a mouthful himself and swallowed before he answered her. “No, not really. I remember a few phrases, mostly for buying alcohol and picking up women.”

“Say something to me,” she said mischievously. “Try and pick me up.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought I already had.”

“You know what I mean!”

He thought for a moment, then his face grew serious and he put down his fork and took her hand in his. “Mi perderei nei tuoi occhi,” he said, gazing into her eyes with such intensity it took her breath away, and she felt herself growing warm all over. She gazed back, speechless for a moment, until she remembered he was just practicing pick up lines and she came back to her senses. 

“Very smooth,” she said, nodding appreciatively, and he laughed and let go of her hand. She took a sip of her wine, peering at him over her glass. “What does it mean?”

“It means “I could lose myself in your eyes.” 

“Oh! Cute. How many times did that get you laid in Italy?”

He grimaced. “Not even once. But I don’t think I ever used it. It’s not really my style, you know.”

She could well believe that, judging by his shy awkwardness when he’d asked her to go to the music festival. “So… how do you order a beer?”

“Uh, let’s see.” He chewed his pasta thoughtfully, his face a picture of concentration. “Una birra, por favor.” The r’s rolled off his tongue beautifully, making her tingle all over as her mind wandered to more unwholesome thoughts.

“I  _ think,”  _ she said, trying to ignore the warmth between her thighs, “that “por favor” is Spanish.” 

“Is it? Well it’s something similar in Italian.”

She tried not to laugh. “Can you say something useful? Like to buy food so you can eat?”

He screwed up his nose in thought. “Well pizza is “la pizza” and bread is “le pain…”.

She snorted. “That’s French!”

“It is not!” He tried to look annoyed but failed when she giggled even harder. 

“Marcus, it is! Oh God, you’re adorable.” She was giggling uncontrollably into her wine now and he tutted and shook his head in mock offence, but she could see from the twinkle in his eyes that he was secretly flattered. They finished their pasta and he got up to take their plates to the dishwasher. 

“Would you like some salad?”

“Yes please.” She was already full from the pasta but salad was always good, and besides, he’d prepared it for her, she wasn’t going to refuse it. She was touched at the effort he’d gone to, and impressed at his cooking skills. Definitely a man worth holding on to, she thought as she watched him moving effortlessly around his kitchen. 

“Okay, there’s green salad and caprese and Parma ham, but I don’t have salad dressing, I’m afraid, only olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine,” she reassured him. “I’m not a fan of that thick gunk to be honest.”

“Yeah, me neither.” He pushed the salad towards her and she took a generous helping, and some tomatoes and mozzarella. 

“I’d love to go to Italy,” she sighed wistfully. “I’ve never been.”

“I’d love to go back. Maybe one day we can go together.” Her heart did a little flip at his words. Was he already imagining a future for them? It was a little premature but she found it endearing. “It’s a shame we’ll never get to see Venice, though.”

“You never saw it?”

He blinked at her. “Abby, it’s been under water since twenty-one fifteen. How old do you think I am?”

She flushed. “Sorry, my history’s not very good. I didn’t realise it was so long ago.”

He shook his head affectionately. “When I was there, nearly twenty years ago, you could still see the tops of the buildings rising from the sea. Now I think you can only see the bell tower in St Mark’s square.”

“That’s so creepy,” she said with a shiver. “And so tragic.”

“It truly is.” They ate in silence for a moment, lost in thoughts of the beautiful Italian city which had finally disappeared beneath the waves after slowly sinking for more than a century. “Shall I make coffee?” he asked when they’d finished. “And then we really need to talk business.”

“Yes, okay. Thanks.” Her heart fell a little. She’d been having so much fun she’d almost forgotten about Wallace. He must have seen the change in her demeanour because he touched her cheek and kissed her softly on the head.. 

“I’m sorry, but I need you to hear this.”

“It’s okay. I just wish we didn’t have to talk about that goddamned company. But of course I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

“Well… it’s not about Wallace. It’s about me.”

“About you?” She took her coffee from him, refusing the sugar pot that he pushed in her direction. 

“Yes. Come on, let’s sit on the couch.” 

Picking up her coffee, she followed him into the living area and took a seat at one end of the big beige sofa, her bare legs curled under. She looked around her in admiration. His living room was clearly that of a single man, with no feminine touches at all, but there were walls of books arranged tidily and some interesting artwork she didn’t dislike even if she didn’t really understand it. The thing that interested her the most, though, was that the sofa faced towards the floor to ceiling windows looking out over the breathtaking view of Manhattan. She loved it, and she could sit and stare at it for hours. 

He dimmed the lights and came and sat down next to her, close enough so that she could feel his warmth but without touching her. “Are you warm enough?” he asked in concern, realising she was still wearing only his T-shirt. 

“I’m fine.” To tell the truth she liked wearing his T-shirt, it smelled of the washing liquid he used.

“Okay. So. I need to tell you a story,” he began. “There’s something you should know, about me… and it might not be easy to hear it.”

“I’m listening,” she said softly, her curiosity piqued. 

“About four years ago,” he said roughly. “I met a woman. She worked in the coffee shop on the corner of the block. I used to stop there everyday for breakfast on my way to work, and she worked the morning shift, so she was always there. We got talking, became friendly. She was pretty and smart and I liked her. A lot.” 

“Of course, it was my luck that she had a boyfriend, so nothing happened between us, but anyway she brightened my day, knowing that I’d always see her at breakfast. She always saved me my favorite donut and had my coffee waiting for me.” He smiled briefly. “I had the feeling from the beginning that she wasn’t happy with her boyfriend, so I swore to myself I’d just be a good friend to her, and be there for her if she needed me.”

“This doesn’t sound so terrible so far,” Abby commented. “In fact it’s quite sweet. What went wrong?”

He took a deep breath, staring unseeing at a point on the floor. “I suspected he was hurting her. Nobody has that many accidents, you know? Constant cuts and bruises. It made me so angry. She was such a sweet person. One day she could hardly stand up, she was in so much pain. She passed out behind the counter, and I called an ambulance. Turned out she had three fractured ribs.”

“Oh God. So you were right? Poor woman.” 

“She admitted it to me on the way to the hospital. How he’d beaten her and pushed her down the stairs. I begged her to press charges, to get help, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She just kept saying she could cope.”

“She was probably terrified.” Abby’s heart ached for her. “What happened next? I take it that’s not the end of the story.”

”No. This is where I fucked up.” He ran his hands over his face. “I had the jerk arrested even though I had no evidence. I figured I had twenty-four hours to persuade her to press charges before we had to release him. I was so sure I could do it.”

“Did she?”

“No.” His voice cracked slightly. “She was mad with me when she found out what I’d done. She kept saying I’d just made things worse, that she could handle him on her own. She told me to get out and that she never wanted to see me again.” He paused and took a deep, shuddering breath. “We found her body two days later, with her skull smashed in.”

“Oh fuck. Oh Marcus, I’m so sorry.”

“I got her killed, Abby. I should have handled it differently. Got her help, counselling. I just rushed in all heavy handed and it cost her her life, when I‘d told her she could count on me. That I’d protect her.” He closed his eyes. “I should have waited.”

“I’m so sorry. It’s a tragic story.”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever told,” he said. “I was suspended for three months, of course, which wasn’t a bad thing, to be honest.”

“What has this got to do with Wallace, though?”

“She had two kids. Bellamy was sixteen, his sister was ten. Her name’s Octavia. I never met them, but Aurora showed me photos. She was so proud of them. Every day my heart breaks for that little girl. Apparently she used to hide in a space under the floor when the violence started. I can’t imagine what she went through. She was  _ ten.” _

“Bellamy Blake.” The pieces slotted into place in her head. “I met Octavia this morning. Well actually, I met her last week, but I didn’t know her name. She came to the Young People’s consultation center to ask for some information about heroin addiction. She suspected someone close to her was using.”

“Oh God, really? Well, the good news is, it’s probably not heroin.”

“No. Although I don’t know if the reality is any better. So what happened to the kids after their mom passed away?”

“They were placed with a foster family in New Jersey until Bellamy was eighteen. Then he became his sister’s legal guardian and they moved to their own apartment. But it was harder to keep tabs on them then. When they were with the foster family their foster mother sent me updates on how they were.” He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “I send them money, make sure they never go without anything. They don’t know who I am though, or that the money is from me. They think it’s their mom’s money. I don’t have the courage to tell them what I did to her.”

“And now Bellamy is working at Wallace.”

“Yes. I found out a couple of weeks ago. Pike made contact with him, trying to get him to give us information about what they are doing at Wallace. I told him I didn’t want Bellamy put in danger, to leave him out of it. You saw what happened to Mr Vie. I couldn’t risk that happening to Bellamy too.”

“But now he’s in danger anyway, Marcus. They’re clearly hurting him.”

“I know. So now I have to persuade him to press charges against Wallace. It’s fucking history repeating itself.” He rested his head back, staring at the ceiling, and she took advantage to scoot along the sofa towards him, and take his hand in hers. “But I will do everything in my power to protect those kids, Abby. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“Oh, Marcus.” Suddenly everything made sense; his determination, his frustration at her for not taking him seriously. His desperate attempts to get Vincent Vie to talk so that he could stop what they were doing before somebody else got hurt. Before Bellamy got hurt. And now it was too late. Bellamy was in the hospital, and all they could hope was that he’d have the courage to do what nobody else would. 

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the city lights twinkling around them. It was an almost surreal effect, like they were suspended in space, looking out at thousands of stars from the window of a space station. He lifted her hand in his and then let them both fall back onto his lap. “Does this -“ he stopped, his eyes suddenly full of doubt. “Does this change anything? Between us?”

Her heart ached at his question. “Of course it doesn’t. Why should it? It was an error of judgement, but you acted in good faith.”

“An error of judgement that cost Aurora Blake her life, and left two kids orphans.”

“Marcus. You didn’t kill her. You made a mistake; that just means you’re human, but your heart was in the right place and that’s what’s important.”

He looked at her, his eyes heavy with regret. “Thank you. Coming from you, that means the world to me.” His voice softened. “Come here.” He pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms, and held her tightly, his face buried in her hair. She hugged him back, her hands stroking his hair as she churned over what he’d told her. It broke her heart to think that he’d carried this guilt for four years, never sharing it with anyone, blaming himself for the harm wrought by another man’s hands. She pressed her lips to his hair and he lifted his head to capture her mouth in a coffee flavoured kiss that was bolder than yesterday’s and took her a little by surprise at first. She returned it eagerly though, pulling him closer, arching into him as his hands wandered under her T-shirt to caress her back. 

The kiss was long and tender, her comforting and generous, him needier and seeking reassurance, until slowly something shifted and the kiss became deeper, more heated. Her hand moved from gently stroking his hair to trail down his cheek and neck and inside the open neck of his shirt, and he moaned softly as she feathered her fingers through the soft hairs on his chest. His skin was wonderfully soft and warm and she fumbled at the buttons of his shirt, wanting to discover more of him, his hands roaming lazily over her hips until suddenly he broke the kiss, leaving her breathless. 

“Abby…” He was breathing as hard as she was. “As amazing as this is, I think we should stop.”

She drew back, scanning his face in confusion. “Why?”

“I don’t feel right…. taking this any further, after what I just told you. You haven’t had time to process it yet.”

“Oh.” She ran her finger gently down his slightly stubbly cheek. “It’s okay, I know what I want, Marcus.”

“I don’t want you to have any regrets,” he said, his eyes pained.

“I won’t, I promise. I want this. I want  _ you.” _

He huffed a small laugh, his eyes creasing in pleasure at her decisiveness. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” She peppered light kisses on his mouth. “I’m sure. I’m sure,” she repeated, and he smiled against her lips. 

“Then let’s go to bed,” he whispered.


	30. Timeline 1 pt 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue - Two years later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Timeline 1: Jake told Abby he was coming back to earth, and Marcus and Abby had a talk. (See chapters 1, 7, 13, 18, 23, 26, & 28)

Abby got out of the car and opened the rear door for Clarke, who unlatched her seatbelt on her own and slithered out, then reached back in and picked up the brightly coloured parcel on the back seat. Marcus closed the driver’s door and made his way around the car.

“Come on come  _ on!”  _ Clarke cried, jumping up and down impatiently and nearly dropping the parcel, which Abby caught before it slipped out of her daughter’s hands. Marcus took Clarke’s other hand and they entered the hospital foyer, Clarke chattering nineteen to the dozen and Marcus doing his best to answer her questions. Clarke was less keen on listening to his answers, though, and kept bombarding him with more questions before he could even finish. 

“Clarke!” said Abby with a chuckle. “You’re not giving poor Marcus a chance to answer!”

“It’s okay,” Marcus smiled over Clarke’s head. “I’m just happy she’s so excited. And she’s got her best outfit on!”

Clarke was wearing her favourite outfit, a pink sparkly tutu with black doc martens and a green camouflage army T-shirt. Her blonde curls were pulled up into two buns on top of her head and held in place with sparkly hair bands. She’d chosen her clothes herself with great care for the special occasion and Abby hadn’t had the heart to make her out on something a little more normal, figuring that what her daughter lacked in taste she made up for in character.

“Is she really tiny Marcus?” she asked happily as they waited for the elevator to the maternity ward. “Do you think she likes dinosaurs? I drew her three different ones. Two from the Jurassic age and one from the Cretaceous age.”

“I’m sure she loves dinosaurs,” Marcus explained. “You’ll be able to teach her all about them.”

“Can I teach her songs as well?”

“She’ll love it if you sing to her, but she won’t be able to learn songs for a while.”

“Okay. And I’m gonna have to teach her to draw, too, because grown ups don’t know how to.”

“Well, some grown ups do,” he said with a frown. “Artists, and such -”

“ _ I’ll  _ teach her,” Clarke repeated firmly.

Abby was trying hard to keep a straight face, and as they got in the elevator he prodded her in the ribs and glared at her.

“What’s so funny?” he whispered as Clarke pressed the button to close the doors and was distracted for a moment watching the numbers flashing on the display. 

“Nothing!” she said innocently. “It’s just adorable, that’s all, listening to the two of you.”

When the elevator arrived on the eighth floor Clarke squeezed between their legs to get past them and ran down the long corridor in front of them, her bunches bouncing on the top of her head and her tutu sticking out comically. 

“Clarke! Slow down!” called Abby and Clarke stopped and turned back to them, one hand on her hip and a mock impatient expression on her face. 

“You’re so  _ slow!”  _ she whined, and then let out a shriek as Marcus scooped her up and put her over his shoulder, holding onto her legs in a classic fireman’s lift. 

“You’re a firefighter!” she exclaimed happily. “Mommy, let’s buy Marcus a firefighter’s costume! Then he can wear it when I wear my police officer costume.”

“Well, I could just wear my real police officer uniform when you wear yours,” he chuckled but Clarke tutted in disgust. 

“That’s not a costume, it’s real clothes,” she objected. 

“Okay Clarke, here we are. Do you want to knock?” He placed her gently on her feet and she knocked on the door of a private room, and then Marcus gently pushed open the door and ushered Clarke and Abby in.

“Aunt Callie!” squealed Clarke, rushing up to the bed and throwing her arms around Callie. 

“Hey sweet girl!” Callie hugged her tightly and then held her at arm’s length for a moment. “Wow, look at you! Is that a new skirt?”

“It’s a tutu, for ballet. I’m having lessons,” Clarke informed her, twirling around proudly, but then she seemed to remember why she was there and looked around the room wildly. “Where is she? Where’s Lily?”

“I thought you’d forgotten,” said Marcus with a chuckle, bending to kiss Callie softly on the lips. Abby watched, smiling, as her friend’s face lit up with love, and she gave them a moment before she approached the bed to kiss Callie on the cheek and give her a warm hug. 

“Hi sweetheart,” she said softly. “How are you doing?” Callie was pale and had circles under her eyes but this was nothing unusual for a new mother, especially one who had been through thirty-six hours of labour. 

“Sore and tired, but never happier,” said Callie with a smile, her eyes shining. Abby squeezed her hand and they both looked over at Marcus, who was holding Clarke on his lap so that she could see Lily asleep in the crib. 

“Mommy!” Clarke’s yell broke the silence. “She’s tiny! But she has perfect hands and fingers! _ ” _

The yell awoke the infant, who responded with a howl of her own and Clarke clamped her hand over her mouth, her blue eyes round with shock, eliciting chuckles from the adults.

Callie motioned to Marcus. “Pass her to me, honey. She’s probably hungry.” Callie sat up in bed, and Marcus helped her to get comfortable on the cushions before lifting the tot from the crib and passing her to Callie, one hand carefully under her tiny head.

“What does she eat? Does she have a bottle?” Clarke was fascinated.

“No, not yet, Clarke. I think aunt Callie gives her her own milk.”

Clarke watched wide-eyed as Callie opened her nightgown and freed her breast, and Marcus helped her to position their daughter so that she latched on immediately. “Mommy,” she whispered. “Doesn’t it hurt? What if Lily bites?”

Callie laughed. “She doesn’t. Do you want to watch her eat?”

Clarke nodded and Callie held out her hand to help her onto the bed, but Clarke struggled to climb up on her own so Abby lifted her and placed her in Callie’s free arm. Clarke peered at the baby and let out a delighted giggle. “She’s got  _ all  _ of the nipple in her mouth!”

“That’s right. That’s how she gets the milk out.” Abby met Callie and Marcus’s eyes over Clarke’s head and a bubble of laughter escaped her. Six-year-olds were too funny. 

“Is Jake coming after work?” asked Callie, and Abby nodded. She and Jake had fixed their marriage and rekindled their love, and settled happily back into married life. Jake was fulfilled with his job on the ground, and still got to spend a month or two a year on Alpha, which was enough to satisfy his longing for life in space without destroying their marriage.

Abby had been honest with Jake about her feelings for Marcus, and Jake had tried to understand although it hadn’t been easy at first. It had been Marcus himself who had won Jake over, regularly offering to babysit Clarke so that Jake and Abby could have time together, thus convincing Jake that he had no designs on his wife and was heartset on helping Jake regain Abby’s trust. The two men had become friends, which was also a blessing since Jake didn’t have many friends on the ground after five years in space, and even went to Knicks’ matches together. 

It had been during one of Jake’s absences, about a year after he’d come back to the ground, that Abby had first noticed the spark between Callie and Marcus. She knew they had become closer, and Callie had been successful in obtaining visiting rights for Marcus with Aria, beginning with a couple of hours every other Saturday, much to Marcus’s delight, but Abby rarely saw them together until she invited them for dinner one evening when Jake was away. At first she thought she was imagining it; the way Marcus teased Callie gently, making her eyes light up and a warm flush cross her cheeks, or the way he watched her for a little too long when she was laughing at something he’d said. Abby made a point of inviting them another couple of times, for coffee or to see Clarke in a school play, and each time she came away more and more convinced that something beautiful was happening between them. Tiny touches, fleeting smiles, and a great deal of eye sex abounded, and Abby decided she would try to give them a gentle nudge in the right direction.

In the end it turned out to be not so much as a gentle nudge as a shove off a cliff. It culminated one evening when Jake was back, and Abby suggested a double date with Callie and Marcus. Abby had filled Jake in on the situation, and that she was hoping to get them to admit their feelings for each other. Halfway through the dinner, when it was clear that Callie and Marcus only had eyes for each other, Abby put down her knife and fork noisily and cleared her throat. 

“So,” she said innocently. “You two want to tell us what’s going on here? Because you can cut the sexual tension in here with a knife.”

They gaped at her, dumbstruck, and then both blushed identical shades of red. Abby and Jake smiled at each other knowingly. 

“Is it that obvious?” Callie wrinkled her nose in embarrassment. 

“Hell yeah,” said Jake with a grin. “Abby and I might as well not be here for all the notice you’re taking of us.”

The guilty pair looked at each other, as if silently coming to an agreement, and when Marcus put his arm around Callie, pulling her close to him, the way Callie’s face illuminated with joy had melted Abby’s heart. With an adorably shy smile on his handsome face Marcus told them that he and Callie had been seeing each other for a few weeks now. “But we wanted to keep it a secret until we were really sure it was what we both wanted,” he finished. “I guess we didn’t do a very good job.”

“You really didn’t,” Abby laughed. “But it’s wonderful, and I hope you’ll both be very happy together. You deserve it, both of you.” Then her eyes had filled with tears of happiness and she’d got up to hug Callie, while Jake shook Marcus’s hand in congratulations. 

After she’d released Callie she moved hesitantly towards Marcus, and he pulled her into a bear hug and whispered, “Your blessing means a lot to me.”

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” she reassured him, and his arms had tightened around her further. 

“Thank you,” he said. “For everything.”

She was too moved to speak for a moment, and she was grateful when Jake distracted them with a toast. “To Callie and Marcus!” he said, raising his glass, and Abby had grabbed hers and repeated “To Callie and Marcus. My two best friends, who deserve a world of happiness.”

She was brought back to the present by the door to the hospital room opening, and she looked up to see her husband peering in, a bunch of flowers in his hand. “Congratulations!!”

“Daddy!!!!” said Clarke in a hushed voice, climbing down from the bed and taking Jake’s hand. “Look at Lily, she’s having milk from aunt Callie’s breast.” 

Jake picked her up and kissed her. “I can remember when you used to do that,” he chuckled and Clarke’s mouth was a silent O of disbelief. Jake passed the flowers to Marcus and shook his hand, then sat down next to Abby, kissing her softly, to give Callie her privacy while she was feeding her daughter. “So, how’s motherhood?” he asked Callie with a grin.

“Wonderful, but tiring. I can’t wait to get home, so Marcus can get up in the night too.” She glanced at him with a slightly mischievous look in her eyes, and he nodded in solemn agreement, but as soon as she turned back to her daughter he shook his head in wide-eyed shock at Abby and Jake, who burst into laughter. Callie glared at him in indignation and he relented with a chuckle, dropping a kiss on her head. 

“I’m kidding,” he grinned. “I can’t wait to discover a whole new level of sleep deprivation.”

They all laughed again, and Marcus took Lily and placed her on his shoulder, rubbing her back gently to burp her as Callie had shown him. He was now the proud dad of two beautiful little girls, and it warmed Abby’s heart to see the joy on his face. He and Callie were adorable together as they fussed over Lily with soft murmurs and sweet smiles. She leaned into Jake as he put his arm around her, Clarke on his lap chattering excitedly about Lily, and Abby felt suddenly overwhelmed with love for these people, her family, brought together by a twist of fate that fall day two years ago, when she and Marcus had met over a fractured arm and a stolen handbag.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of Timeline 1, and I know it's not the Kabby ending we all want, but I think it's a happy ending anyway. It wasn't the right time for them, but they still changed each other's lives for the better, and Marcus got to have daughters which he didn't get in canon.


	31. Timeline 2 pt 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby and Marcus spend their first night together. Marcus talks to Bellamy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Timeline 2: After their date is interrupted by a trip to the hospital, Marcus cooks Abby dinner and tells her about his past connection with Aurora Blake. (See chapters 2, 8, 14, 19, 24, 27, & 29).

Abby couldn’t deny that she had always found Marcus Kane attractive. She was honest enough with herself to admit that part of the reason she’d found him infuriating was because his haughty arrogance, the way he carried himself, and his slightly condescending air were unnervingly sexy, and of course she would rather have died than let him know that. Now that she’d seen his softer side, the way his face lit up in amusement, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled at her, the way he blushed when he was shy or she was teasing him, he was even more so. The way he looked at her made her tingle all over, the way he kissed her left her breathless and giddy. But nothing -  _ nothing -  _ could have prepared her for how breathtakingly beautiful he was as he made love to her, how stunning he was as he held himself above her. For the way his tanned skin glowed in the soft light and his hair and eyes were impossibly dark and mesmerising. She could never have imagined the way the muscles of his upper arms and shoulders rippled as he moved in and out of her, the way his eyes fluttered closed with every leisurely thrust, or that every time he murmured her name goosebumps would fly over her skin. She loved the way he watched her intently, learning her body, what made her sigh and what made her cry out, and what brought her to dizzying precipices from which there was no escape except to fall flailing and gasping over the edge.

She lost count of how many times they made love, of how many times he held her and kissed her as she came undone in his arms, of how many hours of that night they spent discovering each other’s bodies with gentle hands and curious mouths and soft words. Several times they drifted off, wrapped together in exhausted bliss, to wake after what could have been twenty minutes or two hours, eager for each other again, their mouths finding each other before they were even awake, their hands and fingers caressing and teasing and exploring. He was soft but intense, adorable but hot, sweet but with a raw sexuality that was addictive and she couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted nothing more than to make him moan and sigh with pleasure, to hear her name tumble breathlessly from his lips as he came deep inside her, to see his face contort with ecstasy as his body shuddered under her touch. He made her feel powerful and simultaneously weak with desire and she never, ever wanted to stop. 

They finally fell into a deep sleep at around four in the morning after they’d come together one last time in deep, slow, orgasms of bodies already ravaged by a night of lovemaking. When she awoke the next time sunlight was streaming through the window and he was moving around the room, getting ready for work. She watched him for a moment through half closed eyes, still cocooned in hazy bliss, admiring the way his pants hung on his hips and his shirt was taut across his arms and chest. He finished buttoning his shirt and was knotting his tie when he noticed she was awake. 

“Hey.” He came to sit on the bed next to her and brushed her hair out of her face, tenderness shining in his eyes. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“You have to go?” Her voice was rough with sleep. “What time is it?”

He smiled ruefully. “It’s eight twenty. I start at nine.” His gaze was full of awe, as if he couldn’t believe she was there in his bed. 

“Oh.” She stretched gently. “That’s a shame.” She took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “Thank you for a wonderful night.” 

He smiled but said nothing, just leaned over and kissed her. He tasted of toothpaste and she was aware that she hadn’t cleaned her teeth yet, but he didn’t seem to mind as he sucked on her bottom lip, trying to deepen the kiss.

“I haven’t cleaned my teeth,” she muttered in protest. 

He bumped his nose against hers, then drew back with a grin. “So? You’ve only had me in your mouth all night.”

She burst into giggles and he brought his mouth to trail wet kisses down her neck, making her giggle harder.

“I guess I’ll just have to kiss you somewhere else then,” he murmured, kissing down her neck to her breasts. He took a nipple in his mouth and her giggles turned to gasps of pleasure. 

“I thought you had to go,” she moaned.

“I have ten minutes.” With that he moved down to kiss her stomach before nuzzling between her legs, and she gasped again as his mouth found her core. She tangled her fingers in his hair as his tongue whipped her to a quick and frenzied climax that made her arch off the bed with the force of it. 

“Fuck, Marcus,” she said breathlessly, opening her eyes in a daze. “I could get used to this.”

“I’m counting on it,” he smirked. “Would you like coffee?” 

“Yes, please.” 

“Okay. Stay there and I’ll bring it to you.” He left the room and she lay in bed and gazed up at the ceiling, a deep sense of happiness flooding through her. What was happening here? How had she fallen for him so hard and so quickly? Her feelings for him had exploded out of nowhere, almost overwhelming in their intensity. She closed her eyes, picturing his adorable grin that made her smile so wide her cheeks ached. 

She must have dozed off in a post-orgasmic haze because the next thing she knew Marcus was placing her coffee on the nightstand and kissing her head with a murmured “sleepy head” but her eyelids were too heavy to open so she just muttered “thank you,” before snuggling deeper under the duvet. She was vaguely aware of footsteps and then the door closing before sleep took her again. 

She was woken up the next time by her phone ringing, and she sat bolt upright in panic, struggling to remember where she was. Her phone was on the nightstand - Marcus must have put it there with her coffee, which was now cold - and she snatched it up, blinking to focus on the time and caller. Eleven am.  _ Shit.  _ She had to be at work at one. And Callie was calling her. She touched to respond, realising all too late it was a video call and she was naked in Marcus’s bed with an extreme case of sex hair. 

“Hey!” Callie’s face was bright and smiley. “How are you?”

“I’m great, thanks,” said Abby distractedly, trying to smooth her hair. “You? How’s Clarke?”

“We’re all fine. You busy?”

“No, no…” said Abby. “I’m never too busy to talk to you, you know that.”

“Okay, good. Because I want all the details.”

_ What?  _ “What details?” She flushed deep red, wondering what Callie knew.

“About your date, on Sunday. With Marcus Kane.”

Oh, that. “Oh, that,” she said with a smile. “It was nice, we went to the park and had a beer and watched the turtles.” She omitted the part about the trip to the hospital, Callie didn’t need to know that.

“So? Are you going to see him again?”

“Um…”

“Where are you anyway? Are you still in bed?”

“Yeah. I had a late night.” It was no good though, she couldn’t help smiling at the thought of his kisses and touches.

Callie’s eyes widened. “Oh my God! You had sex, didn’t you? You can’t stop smiling and you have stubble rash all over your face.” She peered at the screen. “And terrible sex hair.” 

“Callie…!” She smoothed her hair as best she could. Damnit, oral sex was amazing but it was terrible for her hair. All that writhing. 

Callie was shaking her head in amused disbelief. “I cannot believe this! You and Kane? I’d never have guessed in a million years. I thought you two hated each other.”

“We thought so too. Turns out - we don’t.” She smiled again at the thought of just how much they didn’t hate each other, then bit her lip as she came to a decision. “He’s incredibly sweet, Callie, and he makes me laugh. He’s a great cook and an incredible detective, he has such a big heart and he cares so deeply and that’s what makes him come across as a bit, I don’t know… arrogant I guess? But he really just wants to do his job… I’m sorry,” she trailed off, realising that Callie was looking at her with raised eyebrows. “I’m gushing, aren’t I.” 

“Judging by your hair, he’s pretty good in bed too, right?”

Abby didn’t answer that but she didn’t have to, her smile told Callie everything. “I have to go, I have to be at work at one, and I’m still in bed in Marcus’s apartment. I’ll see you soon and yes, I’ll give you all the details.”

Callie grinned. “Can I tell Jake?”

“Of course. Now I have to go.” She blew Callie a kiss and ended the call. 

  
  


……………………..

  
  


At work, Kane was having problems concentrating on the report he was typing on his computer. He was vaguely aware that he’d been staring at it with a goofy smile on his face for at least half an hour, and hadn’t managed to produce more than a handful of sentences. What was more, the words kept blurring together, and when he finally managed to focus his eyes he realised he’d typed the same sentence four times, with the same identical mistake each time. He smirked to himself when he saw what he’d written. Instead of “due to the absence” he’d typed “due to Abby.” Four times. Shaking his head in exasperation, he deleted it all and retyped the sentence. He was finally making progress when he was interrupted by his phone ringing, and his heart skipped to see her name on the screen. 

“Abby! Hi! How are you?” He tried to contain the smile that threatened to spread over his face, aware that Sinclair and Wick were listening to his every word. 

“Never better,” she said, her voice deep and throaty in his ear and reminding him of her breathy sighs as he’d made love to her last night. “A little tired, maybe.”

He lowered his voice. “Me too. But it was worth it.” He smiled into the phone, then cleared his throat and switched to a more matter of fact tone. “How’s Mr Blake?”

“He’s fine. He was discharged this morning. All the tests came back clear.”

He exhaled. “Okay. I need to go talk to him then.”

“Let me know how it goes, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll call you when you get home.” His voice softened. “Bye, Abby. Have a good day.” 

“Bye Marcus.”

“Bye Abby.” He ended the call, reluctant to say goodbye to her but determined not to get into a ridiculous “You hang up” “No  _ you  _ hang up” scenario at work. Ignoring two pairs of eyes smirking at him from behind their respective computers, he picked up his jacket and strolled out, still on a high from her “never better” and chuckling to himself as he heard Sinclair and Wick muttering under their breath.

“He got laid.”

“Yep. Definitely got laid.”

  
  


………………………...

  
  


Bellamy Blake was mad at his sister, and he was thankful for once that she was sulking in her room. Thanks to her calling the ambulance on Sunday afternoon, he’d missed two days of work and now they might not be able to pay the rent this month. His salary barely covered rent and food for the both of them and losing two days’ pay was a huge blow. They were already living on soup and two day old bread as it was. He was just heating up the soup when there was a knock at the door, and he opened it to find a pizza delivery guy wearing a bright yellow “Pizzamania” cap and jacket. He was familiar with the place; they’d ordered a pizza from there once as Octavia’s birthday treat, but it was too expensive to make a habit of it.

“Pizza delivery,” announced the guy as he handed over the pizzas, reaching into his bright yellow fanny pack for his wallet. “That’s thirty-five sixty.”

“We didn’t order pizza.”

“You didn’t?” He glanced at his phone. “Says here, two cheese and tomato pizzas for apartment twelve. Look.”

Bellamy glanced at it but just shook his head noncommittally and repeated, “We didn’t order pizza.”

“Goddammit! This is the fourth time in a week I’ve got the wrong address. I’m probably gonna get fired for this.” His shoulders slumped. “Well, the pizza’s nearly cold already, I can hardly deliver it to the right address now. You might as well have it.”

“Well… okay. Thanks.” Bellamy took the pizzas, his mouth already watering at the smell. He was about to shut the door when the guy spoke again.

“Hey, I couldn’t just wash my hands, could I? I got grease all over them and it’ll irritate my dermatitis.”

Bellamy rolled his eyes. “Sure. Bathroom’s through there.” He placed the pizzas on the kitchen table and opened the boxes. The pizza was thick and oozing cheese, and Bellamy felt his tummy rumbling. They could eat one between them tonight and save the other to warm up tomorrow, he thought. 

The pizza guy came out of the bathroom and was staring at his phone again. “Thanks a lot, kid. Dermatitis is a bitch and the creams are hella expensive.” He walked towards the couch, still staring at his phone, and Bellamy frowned at him. What the hell was this guy doing?

“Was there something else you wanted?” he asked in irritation, but the guy ignored him. 

“Especially if I’m gonna lose my job, I won’t be able to afford the creams and it’ll flare up again.” He spun around, and headed suddenly for the kitchen, as if following directions on his phone. “Sometimes I scratch so much it bleeds, you know? You got no idea how much it itches.” He reached behind the fridge, feeling around, and yanked hard at something. When he pulled his hand out he was holding a tiny device, no bigger than a pea. He showed it to Bellamy, then opened the kitchen window and hurled it into the night. Bellamy gaped at him. What the actual fuck was going on?

The guy closed the window and turned to him, reaching inside his jacket. Bellamy half wondered if he was going to pull out a gun and was relieved to see it was just a small flat badge. 

“Bellamy, I’m detective Kane from NYPD. We need to talk.”

  
  


……………………..

  
  


Kane hadn’t expected Bellamy to be at all eager to talk to him, so his reaction took him somewhat by surprise. 

“Sure.” He shrugged. “But first, do you want to explain what that was behind my fridge?”

“It was a bug. Someone has been listening in on your conversations. And I don’t really have dermatitis, by the way.” He showed Bellamy his hands. 

“Someone has been listening to our conversations? Who?” Bellamy seemed outraged but Kane wasn’t fooled. 

“I’m sure you have an idea who it is.”

Bellamy looked away, not meeting his eye, and Kane sucked on his lip, contemplating the best way to approach this. He decided the most direct approach was best, Bellamy wouldn’t take kindly to being taken for a ride any more than he already had been. “I’ll be honest with you, Bellamy. I know that Wallace is conducting experiments on its employees, by threatening to hurt their family members if they don’t comply. I’m here to ask you to make a statement so that we can press charges against them.”

Bellamy blanched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do,” said Kane softly. “What are those marks on your arm?”

“It’s a rash.”

“Bellamy, I wasn’t born yesterday. Those are needle marks. What are they injecting you with?”

Bellamy shook his head. “If Wallace gets shut down, I lose my job. How am I supposed to live with no money? I have my sister to take care of.”

“Have you ever thought about joining the police?”

Bellamy laughed. “Me? In the police? I’m too much of a loser for that.”

“I think you’d make a great police officer.”

Bellamy scoffed. “You don’t even know me.”

“Actually, I do,” said Kane quietly. “Well, I knew your mom. She talked a lot about you.”

“You knew my mom?” He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. 

Kane took a deep breath. “I knew your mom, Bellamy, and I failed her. I was supposed to protect her, and I didn’t, and I’ll never forgive myself for that. I can’t let the same thing happen to you and Octavia. I can’t stand by and watch you getting hurt by Wallace, and Octavia being threatened -“ he paused, swallowed. “I can’t fail you too.”

Bellamy was silent, staring at the floor, and Kane could see a vein pulsing in his temple. “Tell me what happened,” he said at last. “With my mom.”

“I met her in the coffee shop where she worked. I used to go there every day for breakfast. I cared for her a lot.” He repeated the story to Bellamy that he’d told Abby a little less than twenty-four hours previously, the second time in four years. “I could have helped her,” he concluded, “but I made the wrong decision, and she died because of me.”

Bellamy rested his forehead on his fingertips, his eyes closed as he weighed up what Kane had told him. Kane watched him with baited breath. Bellamy had every right to be angry at him, to blame him for his mother’s death. He wasn’t expecting the boy’s forgiveness, but Bellamy’s next words surprised him.

“You didn’t kill her, that bastard did,” he said quietly. “I could have done more too. I saw what was happening, and I did nothing to stop it.” His voice hitched in his throat. “I tried to protect Octavia from him, but I could have protected her too.” 

“You were sixteen…” 

“I was old enough to know that you don’t hit women. I had a girlfriend at the time, I didn’t hit her. Why did I stand back and do nothing, while he beat my mom, over and over…” He shook his head, and Kane’s heart ached at the guilt he must have been carrying for the last four years. “I was scared he’d turn on Octavia. And part of me was mad at my mom, you know? For bringing that monster into our house.” 

“Bellamy, you were a kid. A minor. You can’t blame yourself.” 

Bellamy was staring at the floor, lost in thought. He let out a dejected sigh. “So, let me get this straight. I make a statement against Wallace, and that’s it? No more injections, no more Octavia being followed? No more threatening photos? You can shut the company down and I’ll be free?”

“Yes. You may have to lie low for a while, you won’t be able to stay here, but I’ll see to everything, I promise. You and your sister don’t have to worry about a thing. If I have any say in the matter, Cage Wallace is going to prison for a long, long time.”

Bellamy finally met his eyes. “Okay. Okay, I’ll do it. I just want this to be over with.”

Kane felt a rush of relief. “Great. I’ll be here at nine tomorrow morning. Pack as much as you can, because you won’t be coming back here for a while.”

  
  


……………………... 

  
  


By eight o’clock, Abby was beginning to flag, so she went for dinner in the canteen to try to boost her energy levels. She was hurrying back to work afterwards, rounding the corner too quickly as usual when she collided with a warm solid presence on the other side. The last thought she had as she made contact was that maybe she  _ did _ need to start looking where she was going. 

“Oof,” she said as the wind was knocked out of her, but as she went to recoil a strong hand on her waist held her where she was and she looked up into Marcus’s soft dark eyes.

“Hey,” he said with a smile, not relinquishing his hold on her. 

“Marcus!” she breathed. She looked around warily, ready to push away from him, but the corridor was deserted. “Not here. Someone might see us.”

“So?” A mischievous glint appeared in his eye. “When I started dating the chief of surgery, I thought I’d at least get to make out with her in her white doctor’s coat.”

She giggled, and with a final wary glance around, pulled him into a nearby observation room. She closed the door behind them and backed him up against it, her arms snaking around his neck to pull him into a slow, passionate kiss. 

“Is that okay?” she asked when they pulled apart. 

He looked a little dazed. “You’ve just fulfilled every fantasy I’ve had since I was fifteen.”

She laughed. “ _ Every  _ fantasy? You’re easy to satisfy…”

“Hmmm, maybe not every fantasy. I’m disappointed your top is dry.”

She chuckled again and buried her face in his neck, her hands still feathering his hair at the nape of his neck. He was such a dork, and it was incredible how happy he made her. She stood contentedly in his arms, with absolutely no desire to go back to work, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. When he spoke his voice was low, his mouth next to her ear, giving her goosebumps. 

“You know, there are plenty of other things I’d like to do to you in that white coat. Do you ever take it home?” 

She groaned as desire pooled between her legs. “Marcus…” 

“Do you?”

“Sometimes, yes.” 

He growled and attacked her neck with his mouth, kissing her until she felt herself growing weak in his arms, his lips tracing a tantalising trail on her skin. 

“You know, I’m gonna get fired,” she gasped, closing her eyes as his mouth found the spot that made her dizzy. “Oh God…”

“You’re irresistible,” he mumbled against her skin. “But I don’t want you to get fired.” He stopped kissing her but kept her in his arms, turning the subject to more serious matters. “I just talked to Mr Vie again. Bellamy has agreed to give a statement, so I thought I’d try to convince Vincent one last time. He said he’d give me an answer tomorrow.”

“That’s great!” she smiled. “I knew you’d do it.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate your faith in me.” He kissed her forehead, and she closed her eyes, relaxing against his lips. She could stay here forever, but she had work to do.

“I have to go back to work,” she said reluctantly. “Call me later? I’ll be home around ten thirty. I want to hear how it went with Bellamy. You know, about his mom.”

“Okay.” He released her, and she was about to open the door when he caught her wrist and pulled her back to him again for a last kiss, his tongue seeking hers desperately, as if it were the last time he was ever going to kiss her. He broke the kiss just as abruptly as he’d grabbed her and pushed her gently towards the door. “Go, before you drive me crazy.”

She opened the door and slipped out, glancing around warily. There was no one about so she walked quickly up the corridor, straightening her ponytail and biting her lip to stop herself beaming with happiness.

  
  
  
  
  



	32. Timeline 2 pt 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby has a frightening experience and Marcus takes Bellamy to give a statement against Wallace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 2: Abby and Marcus spent their first night together. Bellamy was discharged from hospital, and Marcus went to talk to him about Wallace. (See chapters 2,8,14,19,24,27,29, & 31.)

By the time Kane got home, it was after nine, and tiredness was aching in his bones. It had been a long day on only four hours sleep, not that he’d change it for the world. His apartment already seemed empty without her in it, without her laughter rippling through the air, without her smile lighting up the room and her eyes like two magnets pulling him in and making him oblivious to anything else. The memory of the way she’d kissed him so passionately at the hospital and then instantly become soft and giggly in his arms was still fresh in his mind, and he half wished he’d asked her if he could see her when she finished work. He didn’t want to crowd her though, or scare her off. He had a shower and ate some leftover pasta, then fixed himself a whisky and put some music on while he waited until ten thirty to call her. 

At ten fifteen a frantic knocking on his door roused him out of his reverie. He frowned, wondering who it could be at this time of night. His neighbours were fairly private people, although there was an elderly lady upstairs who sometimes needed help opening a jar or downloading an app and would knock at odd hours. He was completely unprepared, though, for the whirlwind that flew into his arms as soon as he opened the door. 

“Abby!” She knocked the wind out of him, and it was a moment before he recovered enough to wrap his arms around her and squeeze her back as hard as she was squeezing him. “What are you doing here?” He was as bewildered to see her as he was pleased.

“I was followed,” she gasped. “There was a guy, and he followed me so I just kept driving.”

He drew back a little, holding her at arm’s length, and tried to make sense of what she was saying. Her eyes were wrought with panic, her breathing laboured where she’d obviously been running. “What?”

“He was in the parking lot, and he followed me from the hospital all the way home. So I kept driving, and came here.” Doubt flashed in her eyes. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it’s okay.” He wrapped her in his arms again, eager to still her racing heart, and as he held her he felt the tension leave her body and she relaxed into him. He wracked his brains, struggling to understand why they would follow her. The only thing he could think of was that they suspected she knew about Bellamy, and he cursed himself for putting her in harm’s way by sending her into the hospital on Sunday evening. “It’s okay,” he murmured into her hair. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

He took her hand and led her to the couch, where he held her until she’d calmed down, then went to the kitchen and poured her a glass of wine. She took a grateful gulp, closing her eyes as the liquid slid down her throat. 

“How did it go with Bellamy?” she asked, because of course her first thought was for him and Bellamy despite having just had a terrifying experience herself. He suspected she was also trying to distract herself, though. 

“Better than I expected. He didn’t hate me, and he agreed to give a statement.” He took a sip of his whisky. “Then I need to take them away from here for a while. My aunt has a house up on Lake Wallenpaupack. I was thinking of taking them there, no one will ever find them and the house isn’t traceable to me. We can stay there until it all blows over and then I’m hoping to convince Bellamy to go into the police academy.”

She blinked at him. “You’re going away? For how long?” 

“I don’t know, as long as it takes. A couple of weeks, probably. I can work from there and just come into the city when I need to. It’s only an hour on the Maglev.”

“Oh! Yes, that sounds perfect. And I guess I can see you when you’re in the city.” The corners of her mouth turned down in slight disappointment, and with a smile he lifted her chin with his fingers, so that she was forced to look him in the eye. 

“Come with me,” he said. “I can’t leave you here, not after what happened tonight. I want you with me.”

Her face was a picture of regret. “Marcus, I have to work. I’m chief of surgery, I can’t just leave… “

“Oh. Right.” It was his turn to feel disappointed, but then he had an idea. “What if I arrest you, and put you on house arrest?” 

“Are you allowed to have wild sex with your arrestees?” Her tone was light but her eyes were dark with desire, and he felt a tightening in his pants as his eyes roamed from her kissable mouth to the soft swell of her breasts. 

“Oh, I think that would be severely frowned upon.” He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him, loving the way her lips immediately parted and her breath hitched. 

“You’d better not arrest me then…” she breathed.

“No, best not,” he murmured as their mouths met in a kiss.

  
  
  


…………………….

  
  
  


In the end, fate was on Abby’s side. She woke up the next morning with a pounding head and her throat feeling like she’d been eating razor blades. Her nose was stuffed up and since she was running a fever of 101.5, there was no way she could go to work. She had two surgeries that day and one was an immunocompromised patient. She called in sick at seven am, arranging for a colleague to cover her for the urgent surgery and moving the less urgent of the two to the following week. Marcus brought her Tylenol and coffee and fresh orange juice for vitamin C in bed.

“You realise you’re probably going to get this too, right?” she said ruefully.

“That’s okay. We can be sick together up at the lake.”

“Oh, Bellamy and Octavia are gonna love that.”

He smiled. “I’m just glad you can come with me. I really wasn’t happy leaving you here alone. Do you think Jake would bring Clarke up?”

“I’m pretty sure he and Callie will be  _ very _ happy to,” said Abby with a wry smile. She knew her friend was probably dying to check Marcus out and get all the juicy details about the new development in Abby’s love life. If Marcus realised he was likely to be the object of Callie’s scrutiny he didn’t show it though. She finished her coffee and handed him her mug, flopping back onto the pillow. “What time are you picking Bellamy up?”

“Nine. You don’t need to rush, you can stay here and rest, and we can leave this afternoon.”

She nodded. “Okay.” Her voice was hoarse and his eyes crinkled in affection.

“You know, you sound even sexier than usual,” he commented with a soft smirk and she batted his arm weakly and rolled her eyes. “Okay, let’s do that then, and once we’re up at the lake I’ll tuck you up in bed and take care of you.” He kissed her head one last time and headed into the bathroom to shower. 

  
  


………………………..

  
  
  


Marcus was back with Bellamy and Octavia earlier than expected. Everything had gone well; Bellamy had given a statement that would definitely get them a warrant to enter Wallace and reopen the investigation, and Marcus was sure they’d be able to press charges. Moreover Vincent Vie, spurred on by Bellamy’s courage, had agreed to give a statement too, so Sinclair and Pike were on their way to the hospital as they spoke. 

“And then he’s going to discharge himself, of course,” Marcus added as they drove to Abby’s house so that she could pick up some things for the next few days. She wouldn’t be back until Sunday at the earliest. “It won’t be safe for him to stay in the hospital, where they know where he is, so Sinclair is going to drive him up to the lake, because I’d rather he had a doctor on hand.” He glanced at her. “Is that okay?”

“Of course, it’s a great idea. I’ll get my emergency doctor’s bag then, so I have some supplies.”

At home Abby went straight to her room to throw some clothes and toiletries into a bag, then grabbed her doctor’s bag out of the closet. She went quickly through the contents and was satisfied there was everything she would need to take care of Mr Vie, even to operate again if need be. She was just about to head back down the stairs when her eye caught something colourful on the mirror of her dressing table, and her heart stood still. 

With a shaking hand, she reached out and plucked the photo off the mirror. It was of her and Marcus watching the turtles on Sunday, his arm around her as she smiled up at him. It was a lovely photo but finding it on her mirror made her blood run cold because it meant only one thing; somebody had been watching them on Sunday, and that person had been in her house. In her bedroom. 

A sound behind her startled her and she whipped round, her heart hammering.  _ Fuck.  _ She tried to steady her breathing but her head was still aching and she felt like she was going to pass out. There was nothing there, though, so she picked up her bags and went quickly downstairs, keeping her head high but hardly daring to breathe until she was out of the front door. By the time she got to Marcus’s car she was nearly in tears. 

“There’s someone in there,” she half sobbed. “They left this in my  _ bedroom.”  _ She handed him the photo and he swore quietly under his breath. 

“Okay, I’m going to check the house. You wait here.” He opened the glove compartment and pulled out his gun, but Abby stopped him with her hand on his arm. 

“Marcus, no. It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get Bellamy and Octavia out of here.”

He contemplated her words. There wasn’t much harm the intruder could do in an empty house, except maybe steal anything of value. Abby could see his train of thought. 

“I’ve got nothing of any value, and even if I have, it’s not more important than their safety. Please, Marcus, let’s just go.”

He nodded. “Okay. I’ll call for someone to go and have a look.” 

Abby was satisfied with that and as they left the city behind them, she began to relax. Her head was still aching but the pills had brought her fever down and she was able to sleep for a while, lulled by the motion of the car and cocooned in Marcus’s soft hoodie he’d lent her that morning. Bellamy and Octavia were watching movies in the back with earphones in so the only sound was the soft music and gentle voices of the radio station Marcus listened to. She woke up when the car stopped, and looked around her groggily. They seemed to be in the parking lot of a diner, but there was no lake to be seen. “Are we there?”

“No. I had to take a detour,” Marcus explained. “I was worried we were being followed. We’re still about forty-five minutes away, but the kids are hungry and this place has excellent burgers. Are you hungry?”

“A little.” She was surprised to find the idea of food didn’t make her want to throw up. 

The diner was busy but they found a table near the back, although it would have been better by the window so they could see if anyone suspicious-looking pulled into the parking lot. Bellamy and Octavia looked doubtfully at the menu, and Marcus realised immediately what was on their minds. 

“Order whatever you like,” he told them. “It’s on us.”

It broke Abby’s heart to see their faces light up. These were clearly kids who weren’t used to having much. They ordered the same as Marcus, double cheeseburger and fries. She sat in a haze of painkillers and listened to their chatter, chuckling as each tried to roast the other affectionately. It was evident they were close despite the typical sibling rivalry. She wondered what Clarke would have been like with a younger brother or sister. It was one of the few regrets she had, that she and Jake had divorced before they’d had another baby. 

The food arrived, and she was able to manage a few fries and her coffee, while the others tucked in and Marcus described the lake house to them, where they were going to sleep and what they’d be able to do to keep themselves occupied during the day.

“There are two double bedrooms and a twin bedroom upstairs. I thought Octavia and Clarke could share the twin room. It has bunk beds, if I remember rightly. That way Mr Vie can have the other double room, and Bellamy can have the sofa bed in the den.”

“Sounds good.” Bellamy seemed satisfied with the situation, but Octavia looked worried. 

“I have to share with Clarke? I don’t even know her,” she said. Abby was about to reassure her, immediately defensive of her daughter, but Marcus beat her to it. 

“Oh, Clarke’s great! You’ll get on like a house on fire!”

Abby’s heart filled with gratitude. He was so sweet, and she felt so blessed. One of the hardest aspects of divorce was the relationship kids had with their parents’ new partners. Resentment and jealousy often prevailed, and the parent usually ended up caught in the middle of a fraught and toxic situation. Callie had known and loved Clarke since she was born, and was like a second mother to her, but Marcus had come into Clarke’s life unexpectedly at sixteen years of age and they’d immediately taken to each other. She took his hand under the table and threaded their fingers together, suddenly overwhelmed with feelings for him, and he squeezed her hand gently without interrupting his conversation with Bellamy. 

“We can go fishing,” he was saying. “We have a boat and there should be some rods somewhere. You both know how to swim, right?”

Bellamy nodded through a mouthful of burger but Octavia shook her head. “I’ve never learned. I don’t really like the water.”

“I can teach you, then,” Marcus offered, more enthusiastic than Octavia, who just shrugged agreeably and shoved some more fries into her mouth. 

When they’d finished eating Bellamy and Octavia went to the bathroom and Marcus turned his attention to Abby, who had been sitting listening to everything in a groggy haze. He put his arm around her and pulled her to him. 

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay.” She rested her head against him gratefully. “You know, you’re great with them. And Clarke. It’s a crime you never had kids of your own.”

He stilled. “Thank you. I’m doing my best.”

“You know you’re going to have to talk to Octavia about her mom, right?”

“I know.” His voice was strained, and she could see he was afraid Octavia wouldn’t be as understanding as her brother. She didn’t share Bellamy’s guilt about her mom’s death, and was still at an age where she expected adults to not make mistakes. Or maybe Marcus would just be one more on a long list of adults who’d let her down in her life. Either way, it wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.

………………

  
  


The lake house was a beautiful chalet style vacation home, with huge windows looking out over the lake and a garden which ran down to the dock. The water was blue and sparkling in the afternoon sun and the garden was full of brightly coloured tulips and completely surrounded by trees. It was incredibly peaceful and Abby immediately fell in love with it. She felt safe here, the cold reality of Wallace and the intruder in her house suddenly a million miles away. Marcus opened the door and Bellamy and Octavia went to claim their bedrooms, while he opened up the windows downstairs to air the house since it had been shut up for the winter. When the windows were wide open and fresh air and sunshine were flooding in, chasing away the faint mustiness typical of uninhabited houses, he turned to Abby and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Okay. Bed?”

She flashed him a weak smile. “Why does that sound more exciting than it is?”

He chuckled. “You need to rest.” 

“I slept in the car and I’m feeling much better. I think I’ll be okay for a bit.” She didn’t really want to spend the afternoon in bed. 

He put her hand to her forehead, checking for fever. “You feel cooler than this morning. Do you want to rest in the hammock in the garden? I need to do some work on my computer, and then I’ll join you.”

“In the hammock?” She raised her eyebrows. 

“If you want. It’s big enough for two.”

“Sounds perfect.” 

He pulled her to him to kiss her but they were interrupted by Octavia bounding noisily down the stairs. “This place is  _ amazing!  _ There’s a games room, and a hot tub outside, and a pool _ ?  _ Can we use it?”

Marcus laughed. “Of course you can, but we need to fill it. Maybe Bellamy can see to that?”

“See to what?” asked Bellamy, coming down the stairs behind Octavia.

“Filling the pool,” returned Marcus. “Come on, I’ll show you. Abby, will you be okay?”

“Yes. I’m going to find that hammock,” she said, and he nodded and left the room with Bellamy hot on his heels. 

Left alone with Abby, Octavia looked around the cosy living room with its open fireplace, enormous sofas and high beamed ceiling. She seemed suddenly self-conscious, and Abby could see there was something on her mind. 

“Dr Griffin?”

“Abby.”

Octavia ignored her correction. “Bellamy says Detective Kane knew my mom. Did you know her too?”

“No, I didn’t really know him then.”

“Do you know what happened between them?” 

“I do, but you should talk to him about that, Octavia. I know that he cared about her a lot, but it’s not my place to tell you any more than that.”

Octavia nodded, running her finger along the back of the couch as she considered Abby’s words. “Is he your boyfriend?”

The innocent question gave Abby a warm feeling inside. Was he? The word boyfriend seemed so young for people their age, and everything had happened so fast she hadn’t really had time to process what they were, but she was wearing his sweatshirt and holding his hand and kissing him so she supposed that in the eyes of a fifteen year-old that’s exactly what he was. 

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Oh. I guess he must be a good person then.” Octavia’s mouth twisted at the thought. 

“He is,” said Abby gently. “Come on, let’s go see the lake.”

  
  


………………

  
  


She spent the rest of the afternoon dozing in the hammock, vaguely aware of Bellamy and Octavia moving around the garden and talking. At one point she opened her eyes to see Marcus and Octavia sitting on the dock, deep in conversation, and she guessed they must be talking about Aurora. Her instinct was to go and intervene, to support Marcus, but she knew he had to do this alone. After a few minutes he laid a hand on Octavia’s shoulder and stood up, leaving the girl lost in thought, her bare feet kicking gently in the water. Marcus approached Abby in the hammock and she squinted up at him. 

“How did it go?” 

He flopped into the hammock next to her and pulled her into his arms. The hammock swung with the weight of him and Abby had to close her eyes to stop the nausea that swirled inside her. When it had slowed to a gentle rocking he answered her. 

“Not bad. Not as understanding as Bellamy. She’s a tough kid.” They stared up at the sky between the leaves of the trees. “She’s the sort of person who’ll shut people out rather than letting them in.”

“It’s a self-protection mechanism,” said Abby. “She may just need more time. You know, to trust you. To trust us.”

“She already trusts you.”

“Maybe.” She shifted her weight a little, so that she was facing him, her body curled into his. His perfect profile was tense, a muscle twitching in his cheek. “It’ll be okay,” she said reassuringly. “We just have to be here for her, to let her know that whatever happens we’re on her side. That she can count on us.”

“I hope you’re right.” His fingers toyed absently with her hair which she had freed from its messy bun so that it was more comfortable to lie down.

“Ouch,” she muttered as his fingers caught in a tangle. 

“Sorry.” He grimaced and dropped an apologetic kiss on her head. Leaving her hair alone, he changed the subject. “I talked to Bellamy again about going to the academy. He seemed a little more enthusiastic this time. I really think he’d make a great cop, and it would give him a career that would allow him to support his sister.”

“That’s great. Does he have all the qualifications?”

“Yeah I think so. The only thing he’s worried about is where Octavia will live whilst he’s away for six months.”

“Well that’s easy,” said Abby without hesitation. “She can live with me and Clarke.” 

“I knew you’d say that.” He shook his head with a smile. “Can you cope with two teenagers alone?”

She frowned. “Well, I won’t be alone. I was kind of assuming you’d be around too.”

His face broke into a smile and he turned towards her. “Just try and keep me away,” he said, pulling her closer to kiss her. 

“Marcus, you shouldn’t kiss me, I’m sick,” she protested. 

“True, but I’m probably going to get it anyway.” He kissed her again. “I love you germs and all.”

She wrinkled her nose in mock disgust and they chuckled together, then both stilled as they realised what he’d said. 

“Oh,” she said, a smile spreading over her face. 

He screwed up his face. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t very romantic, was it.” 

“No, it was,” she smiled. “It was romantic because it was spontaneous.” She threaded her fingers with his and brought their hands to her chest. 

“You don’t have to…”

“I know.”

“I don’t want you to feel -“ 

“Marcus, it’s okay. I’ll wait till the opportunity arises spontaneously to tell you that I love you too.”

He grinned and wrapped her even more tightly in his arms. She settled happily on his chest and they rocked gently in the hammock, the only sounds the lake lapping at the shore and the leaves rustling in the breeze. It had been a long time since Abby had felt so at peace, so completely relaxed that she felt simultaneously weightless and lead-like in his arms. They were just beginning to doze off when a shout from Bellamy startled them both awake. 

“Kane! Kane! I can’t find Octavia!”

Marcus leapt out of the hammock so fast that the thing flipped over, depositing Abby in a heap on the grass. 

“Oomph,” she grunted as she hit the ground. 

“Shit, Abby.” He rushed to help her up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She brushed herself down, and together they turned to Bellamy.

“What do you mean you can’t find Octavia?”

“I’ve looked all over. She isn’t here.”

“Bellamy, that’s not possible,” interjected Abby. “Where would she have gone?”

“I don’t  _ know,”  _ he said. 

“Okay, let’s split up and look for her. Bellamy, you head along the lake to the east, Abby you go to the west. Do you think you’re up to it?”

“Of course,” she said at once.

“I’ll head down the road towards the town. Make sure you have your phones with you. Oh.” As the word phone left his lips, his own phone rang and he pulled it from the pocket of his jeans and squinted at the screen. “Sinclair.” He put the phone to his ear. “Yes?”

Abby watched as his face grew pale. “She’s here. I’ll pass you to her.” He handed Abby his phone. “It’s Vincent,” he explained. “He’s taken a turn for the worse. They’re ten minutes away, but he’s coughing up blood.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	33. Timeline 2 pt 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Up at the lake, Abby is forced into action despite the fact that she’s sick. Marcus makes headway with Octavia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously in timeline 2: When Bellamy agreed to make a statement against Wallace, Marcus and Abby took him and Octavia out of town to lie low for a while. Unfortunately things took an unexpected turn when Octavia disappeared and Vincent Vie arrived coughing up blood. (See chapters 2,8,14,19,24,27,29,31 & 32.)

So much for being too sick to go to work, Abby mused as she carefully swabbed the wound on Vincent’s stomach that was showing signs of internal bleeding. She checked Vincent's vitals on the screen of her phone, rigged up via bluetooth to her portable heart monitor, and steadied her breathing to the gentle click and hiss of the mini-ventilator helping Vincent to breathe while he was under anaesthetic. Her mind was as sharp as always, the fog of fever cleared by the adrenaline of having another person’s life in her hands. He’d been barely conscious when Marcus and Sinclair had half-carried him into the den, his skin pale and clammy, his lips caked with dry blood. 

She breathed deeply through the surgical mask, keeping her hands steady as she re-opened the wound and reapplied a couple of internal stitches which had come undone and caused him to haemorrhage internally. She’d sent Marcus, Bellamy and Sinclair to look for Octavia - she didn’t need an audience and the girl’s disappearance was troubling her as much as the plight of the man on the table in front of her. 

She glanced at the clock on the wall of the den. Vincent had already been under for twenty-five minutes. She needed to hurry, because the anaesthetic she’d administered was only enough to keep him unconscious for an hour at most, and she’d prefer to be on the safe side. Luckily there didn’t seem to be any sign of infection, so it was a simple matter to close the internal rupture and re-stitch the external wound. It was a pity, she thought. The external wound had been healing nicely but the anxiety of leaving the hospital in a hurry had caused the internal stitches to burst, resulting in a small internal haemorrhage. 

She finished stitching the incision she’d made and covered it with a surgical dressing, then stopped the anaesthesia and removed the ventilator tube when she saw that Vincent was breathing on his own, keeping an eye on her phone screen to monitor his oxygen levels and pulse. She was relieved to see his face had a healthier hue now that she’d stopped the haemorrhage. She took off her gloves and gown and washed her hands wearily. Her head was starting to ache now that the adrenaline rush was over, and she sank down into the armchair on the other side of the room to wait for Vincent to wake up. 

She must have dozed off, lulled by the steady beep of the heart monitor and Vincent’s deep and even breathing, because she was awakened a while later by shouts from outside. It was growing dark in the den and she stumbled out into the living room just as Marcus burst through the door, Octavia in his arms. The girl’s jeans were ripped and blood-stained below the knee, and her face was white with pain.

“What happened?” she asked, immediately back in doctor mode, as Marcus laid Octavia on the couch. 

“She fell and hurt her ankle,” he explained. “Not that one,” as Abby gently probed the ankle of the bleeding leg. “The other one. And as she fell she gashed her other leg. I don’t know if it needs stitches.” 

“Okay. Octavia, I’m going to have to cut your jeans off you,” Abby said. “Is that okay?”

Octavia nodded, and Abby took her scissors from her bag and cut through the denim just below the knee but well above the blood stain, revealing a deep gash about three inches long which was bleeding profusely. 

“Shit, that’s deep,” said Octavia matter of factly, not in the least bothered by the blood streaming down her leg. Abby glanced at Marcus, a silent look of bemusement passing between them. It took a lot to shake this kid. For the second time that day Abby got out her suture kit and, after anaesthetising the area, cleaned, stitched and dressed the wound, while Octavia watched the whole thing in fascination. 

Her other ankle was sprained but luckily not broken. Abby placed it on a cushion, and asked Marcus to fetch some ice. “You need the RICE method here,” she told Octavia. “Rest, ice, compression and elevation. In other words, stay here with your foot on the cushion and watch movies for a day or two.” She took the ice pack from Marcus and placed it on the swollen ankle, chuckling inwardly at Octavia’s dismayed expression. 

“I can’t walk on it for _ two days?” _

“At least for tomorrow. Then we’ll see how it is.”

“This sucks,” Octavia scowled. “I wanted to use the pool and go fishing with Bellamy and –“

“It’s only for a day or two,” Abby reassured her.

“And we can always come back here another time,” said Marcus. “You’ll have plenty of chance to do all of that.”

This brought Octavia up short in her lamentations. “You’ll bring us back here?” She eyed him suspiciously. “Why would you do that?”

Abby watched as Marcus debated his answer. “Because I think it would be fun,” he said at last with a small shrug. “If you want to come.”

Octavia stared at him for a moment, her expression unfathomable, then gave a small noncommittal nod. “Yeah, I guess that would be cool.”

“Great. Okay, here’s the remote. Find a movie you want to watch, and I’ll fix us some dinner. No –“ he said as Abby stood up too. “You stay here. You look exhausted.”

“I just need to check on Vincent,” she said tiredly. “And then if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed.”

“Okay,” he said softly, kissing her forehead. “You don’t want anything to eat?”

“No. Just wake me up if Vincent needs anything, will you? And when you come to bed bring up my phone so I can monitor him during the night.”

Vincent was still sleeping soundly and his stats were fine so she made her way upstairs to the big front bedroom overlooking the lake she was sharing with Marcus. She mused on the fact that this was the third night in a row they would be spending together, and it already seemed like the most normal thing in the world. She showered and climbed into bed and was asleep before her head had even touched the pillow. 

  
  


……………………

  
  


When she woke up the sun was beginning to filter through the blinds and a glance at her watch told her that it was six fifteen, and she’d slept for nearly ten hours straight. She rolled over to find Marcus’s side of the bed cold and empty, and she tutted to herself in disappointment. He was such an early riser, and she loved to cuddle in bed in the mornings. She’d have to introduce him to the concept, she thought. Further inspection through sleepy eyelids told her that his side of the bed hadn’t even been slept in, and at that she bolted upright, wondering what had become of him, and if everything was okay with Vincent.

She went downstairs and checked on her patient, who was sleeping soundly, and then went to look for Marcus. She found him asleep on the couch in the living room, still fully clothed and with just a light plaid rug over him and her phone, still monitoring Vincent, on the table next to him. She paused to admire him for a moment; it was the first time she’d seen him asleep because he was always awake before her. His morning stubble and fluffy bed hair gave him a softer appearance which contrasted adorably with the strong lines of his cheekbones and nose. He really was beautiful, she thought appreciatively.

He must have sensed her presence because his eyelids fluttered open briefly and a smile crossed his face. “Abby.” He opened his arms and she snuggled into his warmth, and he covered her with the rug. “You’re already awake?”

“It’s six thirty,” she mumbled. “Why did you sleep down here? I missed you.”

“I wanted to let you sleep, so I stayed here in case Vincent needed anything. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.”

She was touched by his thoughtfulness. “That was very sweet of you. Was everything okay?” 

“He woke up a couple of times. I gave him some of the painkillers he had from the hospital.”

“Great, thank you. Did you get some sleep though?” She caressed his hair and he closed his eyes at her touch. 

“I slept plenty, thank you Dr Griffin. How are you feeling?”

“Hmmm. Much better.”

“You were amazing yesterday. I can’t believe you operated on Vincent and sorted out Octavia feeling like you did.”

“It’s all part of the job, Marcus. You would do the same, and you know it. How was Octavia last night, anyway?”

“She was fine. We watched one of the Star Wars movies when Bellamy got back, I don’t remember which one, and then she went to bed. She seemed quite happy.”

“What on earth was she doing to hurt herself like that?”

“She told Bellamy that she went for a walk because she wanted to think. You know, about her mom I guess. I didn’t push it any further.”

She stared up at the ceiling, watching the shadows recede as the sun rose higher in the sky. “You realise, right, that her saying it would be cool to come back here is a_ huge _thing? It means she wants you in her life when this is all over.” When he didn’t answer she raised her eyes to his, noting with a pang that they were unusually shiny. She tightened her arms around him, and they lay in silence for a while, their breathing perfectly in sync. Abby felt her eyes growing heavy, and she wondered if she was going to drop off again. She didn’t really want to be caught in her pyjamas in the living room when Bellamy and Octavia woke up, so she tried to fight the drowsiness. Marcus clearly had the same thought.

“I need to take a shower,” he murmured, his fingers stroking her back just above the waistline of her pyjamas. “Do you want to join me?”

“I had one last night,” she said sleepily, enjoying his caresses too much to pay too much attention to what he was saying. 

“You could join me anyway.” The suggestion in his voice sent a thrill of anticipation through her.

“Hmmm. Let me think about it,” she teased, pursing her lips and pretending to contemplate his proposal.

“Okay.” He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately, making her pulse race and desire flood her belly, but then just as suddenly he pulled himself up off the couch and sauntered out of the room without so much as glancing back at her. 

“Bastard,” she muttered to herself as she flopped back onto the cushions breathlessly. He knew exactly what he was doing, and she grinned to herself at his audacity.

He made it up to her in the shower though, sinking to his knees and hooking her right leg over his shoulder so that she had to lean against the cool tiles to keep her balance, then nuzzling at her centre until she came so hard her legs gave way and she collapsed into his arms in a whirlwind of breathy cries and sighs. He held her and kissed her as she came back to her senses and her heart beat slowed to normal, the warm water streaming over them and filling the bathroom with steam which seemed to heighten every sensation. 

She wasn’t sated, though, so she pushed him gently onto his back so that he was propped up against the wet tiles and straddled him, hovering over him teasingly until he grabbed her hips and pulled her down, thrusting into her with a force that made them both gasp. When their moans became too loud she took his face in her hands and silenced him with kisses as she rode him to a deep and shuddering climax, there on the floor of the shower. She drew back to watch as he came, to watch the way his face relaxed in ecstasy as he emptied himself into her, and it was so incredibly sexy that she felt herself rising again, cresting the wave of a second climax, and she reached down to stroke herself until she followed him over the edge, stifling her moans against his shoulder. 

They stayed where they were for a few minutes, both too wrecked by their orgasms to move, and then he huffed a little laugh that was almost disbelief. “That was amazing.” He brushed her wet hair out of her face to see her better, and when he spoke again his voice was full of awe. “You’re so beautiful. You take my breath away, every time.”

She lifted her head from his shoulder, her breathing still laboured. “Well, you’re pretty hot too,” she said with a smile. “I can’t get over how incredible sex is with you.”

“Really?” He looked flattered, and her heart melted. “I never thought it could be like this either.” He faltered, and his voice grew softer. “I’m so in love with you, it’s crazy.” 

“Oh, Marcus.” His confession brought a lump to her throat, the emotion surging through her almost painful in its intensity. She stroked his cheek and kissed him tenderly. “I am too,” she whispered, pressing her forehead against his and closing her eyes against the stubborn tears of happiness pricking at her eyelids.

  
  


………………..

  
  


By Friday morning Vincent was well enough to sit by the lake and fish with Bellamy, and after a brief examination Abby deemed Octavia’s ankle strong enough for her to use the pool, since the water would help to support her weight. She gave the girl a waterproof dressing for her stitches and Marcus spent some time teaching her to float on her back, while Abby watched with a book from a lounger at the side of the pool. It fascinated her to see the dynamic between the two of them: Octavia was stiff and diffident at first, which obviously resulted in more sinking than floating, but Marcus was calm and reassuring, gently coaxing her to relax. He had an endless patience and a way of teaching which was humorous without being patronising. 

“I’ll hold you,” he promised her. “You have to trust me, and you have to relax.”

“How am I supposed to relax when I’m scared of going under?”

“It’s because you’re scared that you’re sinking. You can’t float if you’re tense. You become like a stone, and stones sink.” 

Octavia scowled at his calm logic and lay on her back again, Marcus holding her head and inviting her to breathe deeply, and when she was floating he slowly let go of her until she was floating on her own. He gave Abby a triumphant grin, holding his hand in the air to count on his fingers the seconds that she was floating but of course Octavia, realising she was no longer being supported, promptly panicked and went under. Marcus grabbed her and pulled her up and she spluttered and glared at him, duly outraged. 

“You said you’d hold me!”

“You floated for more than five seconds without me holding you,” he assured her. “You don’t need me. You just have to believe in yourself.”

“Huh.” Octavia wasn’t convinced. “Can’t you just teach me the strokes?”

“Nope.” Marcus was adamant. “First you need buoyancy. And anyway, you can’t force your ankle too much. Right, Abby?”

His question took Abby by surprise and she jumped but quickly nodded in agreement. Truth be told she had been more interested in the way the glistening drops of water were running down Marcus’s chest than in what he was actually saying, and he must have realised she was a little distracted because he shook his head almost imperceptibly at her, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Okay, one more time,” he repeated to Octavia, ignoring Abby’s blushes. “This time I’ll tell you when I’m going to let you go. You just keep looking at me and breathing deeply.”

“Okay.” 

“You got this. Okay one. Two. Three. I’m letting go.” He removed his hand but continued counting and Octavia floated, and floated, until he pretended to glance at his watch and said with a chuckle, “You just going to stay there like that all day?” 

Octavia grinned and floated some more, then put her feet down and stood up. “Okay, I floated. _ Now _can you teach me the strokes?”

“Still nope,” he retorted. “You have to learn to float on your front with your face under the water. But that’s for tomorrow.” 

“Aw, Kane,” she drawled in protest but he stuck to his guns.

“I have work to do this afternoon, and you’ve done enough for today. You did great.”

“Can I practice some more?”

“Sure. But I’m getting out now.” He heaved himself out of the pool and walked over to where Abby was sitting. Picking up his towel, he dried his hair and chest, then bent down and kissed her, dripping water all over her, much to her disgust. 

“Marcus!!” 

“Sorry.” He sat down next to her with an apologetic grin, and it was impossible to stay mad at him. “Well, that went better than I expected.”

“It did. She likes you.” She was more pleased for him than she could express, but she could see he was still sceptical, which she could understand. It was a delicate situation. 

“I wouldn’t go that far. Not yet.” He glanced at the book in her lap. “Good book?”

She threw him a withering look. “You know damn well I haven’t read a single word.”

He smirked but didn’t comment. “Okay, I’m going to get dressed. I have some work to do. Are you staying here?”

“Yeah, as long as Octavia is in the pool. Just in case. Bellamy is still fishing with Vincent.” 

“Okay.” He kissed her again and got up to leave, and she watched him walk away before turning back to her book after checking that Octavia, who had been floating on her back for the whole conversation, was in fact still breathing. She’d managed to read a couple of chapters when Marcus came back, fully dressed in his work suit and tie, and she smiled in delight because he always looked so incredibly handsome dressed like that. 

“Hey,” she smiled, although she was slightly confused. “Why are you dressed–“

He didn’t even let her finish. “I have to go,” he said, his voice low with urgency, and she scrambled to her feet at once and padded towards him, her eyes searching his face. “They’ve got a warrant for Wallace. We’re going in.” 

“Oh, God. Well, that’s great. Right?”

He nodded, running his hands through his hair. “It is. I’m just praying it goes to plan. Bellamy and Vincent will only be safe if we find enough evidence to shut them down once and for all.” 

Her heart lurched, but she tried not to show it. She knew that the circle of people who would be in danger if things didn’t go to plan was much bigger than that and included Octavia, Vincent’s family and themselves. “You will. You have to believe that.”

A smile ghosted over his face, and he took her in his arms. “Thank you for being here for me,” he murmured into her hair. 

“Always,” she whispered, and his arms tightened around her. 

He kissed her softly and then released her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said, and then he was gone. 

  
  



	34. Timeline 2 pt 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The happy ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on timeline 2: When Bellamy and Vincent agree to press charges against Wallace, Abby and Marcus take them to the lake house for safety until things are resolved (See chapters 2, 8, 14, 19, 24, 27, 29, 31, 32, & 33).

The rest of the day dragged. Abby was nervous and on edge, their isolation up at the lake both a source of comfort and worry, because she couldn’t help wondering what they would do if somebody from Wallace had discovered where they were. There was no one around for miles, but she tried to stay calm, and trust Marcus’s judgement that this was the safest place for them to be. She wasn’t sorry, though, when an afternoon thunderstorm drove them all indoors, and Abby bolted the doors and pulled the blinds and they watched movies over mugs of hot chocolate and buttery popcorn. 

Octavia and Bellamy were in high spirits. Abby hadn’t told them where Marcus had gone, reasoning that there was no need to worry them needlessly. Their light-hearted chatter and joking distracted her from the constant fear gnawing at her. She had confided in Vincent, because Marcus had obviously arranged for police to watch over his wife and daughter and Vincent had called them to explain what was happening. 

Vincent was quietly optimistic despite everything he’d been through. “Cage Wallace runs that company on fear and arrogance,” he told Abby, “more than science and good leadership. There’s no way he’s going to get away with this. It’s all there. I came across one database alone that’s enough to shut them down.” He paused. “He isn’t a smart man, you know. He lacks the vision and empathy of his father. Lorelai Tsing is the brains behind the whole show, but she is so driven by her own selfish agenda she’s lost sight of the fact that science is supposed to better humanity. Ease suffering, not cause it. But it’s over now, thanks to Kane.”

“Yeah.” She tried her best to smile, but the truth was she was as worried about Marcus as she was about the four of them. What if Cage turned violent, or did something stupid like blew the place up to destroy evidence? She wouldn’t put it past him, the man sounded deranged. 

It was midnight by the time Marcus got back. Vincent and the kids had gone to bed, although Vincent had instructed Abby to wake him immediately if she needed him. Abby had waited up, unable to relax until she knew Marcus was safely home. She’d half expected him to stay in the city and drive up early the next morning but he called to say he was on his way and she breathed easily again. She was dozing on the couch when he arrived, and didn’t actually hear him come in, and when he shook her gently and kissed her head she awoke with a fright, immediately on the defence. 

“Marcus!” She sat up, her heart racing, then pulled him into a hug. “You startled me.” He looked exhausted; there were shadows under his eyes and his stubble was more than just a stubble at this point. He had a cut on his cheek and there were blood stains down the front of his jacket. 

“What happened?” She pulled back to examine the cut, which wasn’t deep but probably needed cleaning. 

“I’ll tell you everything,” he said, taking off his jacket. “I have some good news and some sad news. But first I need to eat. I didn’t even have any lunch.”

“Of course,” she said. “There’s some leftover chicken stir fry. Bellamy’s an incredible cook.”

“That would be great. I’m starving.”

He followed her into the kitchen where she put the food in the microwave for him while he washed his hands. While the food was heating up she made him sit on a chair while she gently cleaned his cut with her first aid kit. 

“It’s not deep, it won’t need stitches,” she said with a smile. “You’ll live.” She caressed his other cheek and then got up to get his food, which he fell on hungrily. She poured them both the long awaited glass of wine and sat opposite him while he ate.

“So do you want to hear the good news or the sad news first?”

“Best start with the sad news,” she said, pulling a face.

“Okay. Well, Dante Wallace was rushed to hospital. He had a heart attack on hearing what his son and his girlfriend had been doing. Last I heard, he was in a stable condition, but hadn’t regained consciousness.”

“Oh!” Abby’s hand flew to her mouth. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” The news gave her mixed emotions though, because while she was sad about the old man’s condition, it proved that he was indeed innocent. “I’ll call the hospital tomorrow, find out how he is,” she said, and he nodded in agreement through a mouth full of stir fry. 

“What’s the good news?” 

He swallowed. “We got everything,” he said. “All the evidence we need to shut Wallace down and put Cage and Tsing away for a long time.”

Relief flooded through her. “I’m so glad,” she breathed. 

“Me too.” He smiled, and she could see the muted triumph in his eyes, the quiet sense of validation that he had been right all along. 

“So, what were they doing? What drug were they testing?”

“It wasn’t a drug,” he said as he finished his meal. “They were trying to modify blood to make it resistant to radiation, with a view to selling it on the black market. People injected with this substance would have a ninety-five percent better chance of surviving nuclear fallout. You can imagine the value of such a substance for a country on the brink of war.”

Abby could hardly believe her ears. “What?”

He nodded. “Have you ever heard of a scientist called Becca Franca?”

“Of course. She discovered the pathway to the human consciousness, back in twenty fifty-one, and went on to cure nearly every mental illness.”

He smiled at her swift answer. “Apparently she was commissioned to create this substance back then, by a company called Eligius Corporation.”

“Eligius?” She’d never heard the name before. “What sort of company was that?”

“It was an asteroid mining company. They aimed to carry out interstellar missions to mine asteroids for hythylodium.”

“And hythylodium is radioactive?”

“I don’t know. Possibly. They commissioned it for Eligius III, which never left, because in twenty forty-seven, Becca Franca’s laboratory was the target of a terrorist attack and all her work was destroyed.”

“Oh no! That’s awful. Who would do something like that?” 

“I have no idea. Look.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened it at a page of reports about the attack, and she shuffled closer to peer at the screen with him. “The perpetrators were never caught. A security guard reported a woman knocking him unconscious with an injection in his thigh, and the next thing he knew he woke up on the beach several miles from the lab after the explosion. But this is the incredible thing, Abby. The security cameras got a couple of shots of the woman before she disabled them. Look. She looks like you.”

He clicked on the photo and Abby gasped. The woman could have been her, maybe ten years older, with more lines on her face and a little more grey hair at the front. There was something harsher about her though, that couldn’t be explained by the age difference alone. Almost as if life had chiseled the softness from her face. “How is that possible?”

“Maybe an ancestor of yours?”

“Does it give her name?”

“No. They never caught her, remember? She disappeared into thin air.”

“Oh. Wow. I don’t know how to feel about this. That one of my ancestors did such a terrible thing.” The act went against everything that she believed in as a doctor and woman of science, and shook her to her core. “And why would terrorists destroy the work on the blood substance? I’d have thought they’d be trying to get hold of it. It could have been very useful to them.”

“It’s a mystery. Maybe it wasn’t the blood stuff they wanted to destroy. Maybe it was something else she was working on. She was involved in an AI project too.” 

Abby pursed her lips. “Still not sure why terrorists would target that.”

“Maybe they were those crazy anti-tech activists, you know, who thought science was the evil of humanity. The attack was never claimed, though.”

“Right.” She nodded. There had been a huge movement in the middle of the last century. “So Eligius just gave up on the substance?”

“Well, Eligius IV left a couple of months after the attack on the lab, but never returned, presumed lost. They were transporting prisoners for manpower on the asteroid, and they mutinied. The company went into administration soon after, and the radiation-resistant blood was forgotten, probably due to lack of funding.”

“Until Cage Wallace picked up the idea again? Nearly a century later?”

“Yes. Apparently Wallace Pharmaceuticals is on the brink of bankruptcy, and this was a last-ditch attempt to stay afloat. The problem was, they needed blood. Lots of it. So they made their employees sign contracts that they would donate blood, threatening to hurt their family members if they didn’t agree. That’s what the photos were for. They also made them take intravenous drugs to temporarily boost the quality of their blood, similar to the way athletes used drugs to improve their performance.”

“That explains the syringes Octavia found,” said Abby slowly. “But what about Bellamy’s confusion the day he was taken to hospital?”

“I think he found something they didn’t want him to find, and they used a gas to subdue him and then left him somewhere so that he had no idea where he was or what he had done. He managed to get home but had no memory of anything that had happened.”

“My God.” She shook her head. Of all the things she could have imagined, this didn’t even come close. 

He stood up and took his plate to the sink, and she watched as he rinsed it quickly and then loaded it into the dishwasher. She suddenly felt an overwhelming rush of pride for him.

“What is it?” he asked, seeing her expression.

“I’m so proud of you,” she said. “You saved a lot of people from a great deal of suffering, or something even worse.”

He smiled softly as he loosened his tie. “Thank you,” he said, sliding his arms around her waist. “And thank you for believing in me. Your support means everything.” He rested his lips against her forehead. “Now can we go to bed? I’m exhausted.”

While he had a quick shower Abby got ready for bed and, propping her glasses on her nose, tried to read a few more pages of her book to keep herself awake until he got back. He was back in less than ten minutes, his hair fluffy and still slightly damp, which made her smile, and a towel wrapped around his waist, the front tenting almost comically. He stopped in the doorway to stare at her. 

“God, are you a sight for sore eyes,” he said, the intensity in his gaze sending butterflies fluttering in her belly. He let his towel drop to the floor and in a flash he was in bed, and he took her in his arms and kissed her like she was the oxygen he needed to breathe. 

“Let me take my glasses off,” she said breathlessly when she was able to break the kiss briefly, but he caught her hand in his as she was reaching for them. 

“No, leave them on,” he growled. “They’re hot.” Still holding her hand, he pinned it to the pillow above her head and captured her lips again, kissing her so deeply she thought she might come just from the feel of his tongue caressing hers and his body, warm and solid, pressing against hers. “I want you,” he murmured as his mouth moved to her jaw and then down to her throat. He released her hand to free a breast from her tank top which he attacked with his tongue, making her groan and squirm, while his hand moved further down to hook inside her underwear and slide it down over her hips. 

It took just a moment for her to pull him on top of her and wrap her legs around him, and he slipped inside her so easily, like their bodies were meant to be together that they let out mutual groans of relief. She pulled him down to kiss him, teeth and tongues clashing but soon their breaths were coming so fast that they couldn’t breathe, and she felt him losing himself as he spiralled towards orgasm. 

“Are you close?” he gasped and she wasn’t, not really but it turned her on so much watching him come undone that she just nodded breathlessly, mesmerised by the way he was staring into her eyes, and she felt him pick up speed for the final few thrusts before he exploded inside her, crushing her into the mattress as he muffled his groans against the pillow. 

He collapsed next to her, panting, and she kissed his face and stroked his hair until he opened his eyes. His brow furrowed as realisation dawned on him. “You didn’t come.”

“It’s okay,” she reassured him. “That was so hot, just watching you. I loved it.”

“Really?” He shook his head. “You should have said, I’d have slowed down.”

“Marcus it’s fine, really!” She turned on her side to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling her nose against his and kissing him softly on the mouth.

“It’s those glasses, you know,” he murmured. “You’re so sexy. God, if you wear them when we try out your doctor’s coat I think I’ll go crazy.”

“Oh yeah?” Her tone became mischievous. “So, you’re saying I shouldn’t wear only my doctor’s coat, some sexy underwear, my glasses and high heels?”

“You’ll kill me,” he groaned. “Seriously.”

“Well, that’s okay,” she smirked. “I’m a doctor, I’ll just resuscitate you. I can do cpr –“

“Abby.”

“Yes?”

“Stop talking, and let me make you come.”

“Okay,” she sighed happily, flopping onto her back and giving herself up to the pleasures of his skilful tongue. 

He made her come twice, until she was so sensitive she couldn’t even be touched and her body felt almost boneless against the mattress. When he was sure she was well and truly satisfied he moved back up the bed to cuddle her, but she could see there was something on his mind. 

“You’d tell me, wouldn’t you?” he began softly as sleep began to take her. “If you wanted me to wait for you?”

“Oh.” She blinked. “Of course I would. But I was so into you, I wasn’t even really aware of my own pleasure.” She thought for a moment. “It’s the first time that’s ever happened, to be honest. It was amazing.”

“Really?” He squeezed her tightly, moved by her words. “But I just like to know where I stand. If it happens again, you can just say ’it’s fine’ okay?” He paused, as if he was choosing his words carefully. “I didn’t really like leaving you behind when I thought you were with me.”

“Oh. Marcus.” She hadn’t meant to make him feel bad, and it really was fine, they didn’t always need to come together, and she trusted him that he wouldn’t leave her high and dry. Loving someone was a game of give and take, and the giving was just as wonderful as the taking.

“I just want to be sure you’re happy,” he said softly. “I don’t want to be second guessing myself about something as… something as important, and as exciting as giving you orgasms.”

She giggled at his words, her heart filling with love. He was so incredibly sweet, and she was touched by his sensitivity, and that he’d opened up to her about this. She treasured these glimpses into his vulnerable side. “Okay, I promise,” she said, snuggling into him again with her whole body. “Goodnight, Marcus.”

“Goodnight. Abby.”

  
  


……………………

  
  


The next afternoon Callie and Jake were bringing Clarke up to the lake, and Vincent’s wife Elizabeth was driving up with Maya and Jasper, so that morning Abby and Marcus went to the local store and bought food to have a barbecue. The sky was a deep forget-me-not blue, with not a cloud in sight, and the afternoon promised to be a scorcher. Octavia helped Marcus with the barbecues in the garden and it warmed Abby’s heart to see them talking and laughing together. The swimming lessons had been a godsend, she mused, and she suspected that the bond of mutual respect and trust that had formed between them was the beginning of a great friendship. It was clear that Marcus adored her, judging by the way he took her adolescent teasing in his stride, grinning cheerfully whenever she found something new to roast him about and giving as good as he got. Abby just hoped Clarke wouldn’t feel pushed out. It was of utmost importance to her that Clarke and Marcus got on well, but Clarke had only met him the one time, for that one car ride home. 

Callie and Jake arrived around three in their camper. They had been planning on dropping Clarke off and heading on around the lake for a couple of nights, but Abby persuaded them to stay for a couple of hours. Not that Callie needed much persuading, she was dying to meet Marcus and grill Abby about their relationship.

Clarke jumped out of the camper and looked around her appreciatively. “Wow! This place is  _ amazing!”  _ she said loudly, and Abby couldn’t help noticing that Marcus looked pleased. Abby hugged Clarke, suddenly feeling bashful in front of her daughter. She hadn’t actually thought about how she was going to broach the subject of Marcus, and Bellamy and Octavia, with her, but she needn’t have worried. No-filters Clarke just plunged in head first. “So, care to explain how I go away for a week –  _ one week –  _ and come back to find you practically married, living by the lake and with a whole new family to boot?”

Abby coloured. “Clarke! It’s not - I mean - I haven’t!”

“Mom, I’m teasing. I  _ knew  _ you and Kane would hit it off. Was I right?”

“You were right, Clarke. Even about the UHT thing, or whatever it was.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “U _ S _ T, mom. The S is kind of the important part.”

Abby cleared her throat and changed the subject. “Why don’t you go and introduce yourself to Bellamy? He’s sorting out the drinks over there.”

Clarke followed her gaze, and her face lit up when she saw Bellamy, shirtless and tanned, setting out glasses on a table in the shade, a cooler full of ice next to him. A warning bell rang in Abby’s head at her daughter’s expression, but she stored that away for future examination. 

Clarke stopped to hug Marcus and introduce herself to Octavia on the way, and Marcus made his way over to greet Callie and Jake. Abby had wondered if he’d feel awkward, but he was relaxed and personable, shaking hands affably and offering them a cold drink after their long drive. Soon he and Jake were digging up memories of college over a beer and Callie took advantage to slip her arm through Abby’s and lead her away. 

“I want to know  _ everything,” _ she said. “I still can’t get my head around how this has happened. So, start from the beginning, and take me through it. Blow by blow.”

Abby threw back her head and laughed at her friend’s choice of vocabulary, but quickly outlined the events of the last couple of weeks, their date in Central Park, the dinner on Monday which had led to the best night of sex she’d had in her life - “don’t tell Jake I said that,” she warned Callie with a grimace - and then briefly described what had happened at Wallace, and Marcus’s connection to Octavia and Bellamy. By that time Elizabeth Vie had arrived with Jasper and Maya, and Clarke was shrieking and running across the grass to hug her friends. 

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of good food, beer, sunshine and laughter. The relief of knowing that the nightmare at Wallace was over, and there was no longer anything to fear after the constant worry of the last two weeks, left Abby feeling giddy and euphoric. And of course, she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t Marcus’s presence beside her that made her feel almost weightless with happiness. Whether he was casually holding her hand as they talked basketball with Vincent, or holding her loosely around her waist as they listened to Octavia and Bellamy teasing each other, or even just his soft smiling eyes finding hers from the other side of the garden as she laughed with Callie about a mishap at work, he had this way of making her feel that she was the centre of his world, and she’d never felt so incredibly, insanely happy in her life. 

The kids wanted to swim in the lake but it was colder than they expected and the air was filled with shrieks and laughter as they goaded each other into taking the plunge. Octavia was first in, keen to show off her new skills, but a sudden high pitched scream sent Bellamy and Marcus running down to the dock to check that she was okay. It turned out Jasper had thought it would be fun to scare her by pretending to see a huge snake swimming behind her.

“You - you -  _ dumbass!”  _ yelled Octavia, wiping her eyes as she tried to catch her breath again after swallowing a mouthful of lakewater in her panic. Her indignation was short-lived, however, because Clarke and Maya grabbed Jasper and pushed him off the dock into the water, while Octavia laughed gleefully, and then Bellamy grabbed Clarke and Maya’s hands and pulled them off the dock with him. Abby noticed with only slightly concerned amusement how much Clarke was blushing as she retaliated by splashing water into Bellamy’s face, and she thought Marcus noticed it too because he caught her eye and raised his eyebrows, the mutual thought passing between them that this situation was going to have to be addressed at some point.

When it was too cold to stay in the water they played volleyball by tying a string between two trees, the five kids against Abby, Marcus, Callie, Jake and Elizabeth, with Vincent umpiring since he wasn’t fit enough to do sports yet. The kids won, of course, because Marcus kept forgetting it wasn’t basketball and that dribbling wasn’t permitted, which made the kids yell. 

“Honestly,” said Clarke, rolling her eyes. “For a cop you’re incredibly bad at sticking to the rules.”

When the sun had gone down, and Callie and Jake had said their goodbyes and left in their camper, the kids retired to the end of the dock to talk and play cards, and Vincent and his wife announced they were having an early night, since it had been a busy day and Vincent still wasn’t strong. Marcus changed the music to something a little more relaxing and Abby sat on the swing seat, watching the moonlight shimmering on the lake and listening to the chatter and laughter of the kids. 

“They seem to have hit it off,” Marcus commented, sitting down next to her. “Clarke and Octavia and Bellamy, I mean.”

“Yeah. Although I think Bellamy has made a big hit with Clarke.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about that. She’s only sixteen, and if Bellamy and Octavia are going to become part of the family, things could get messy.”

“Yeah.” His expression was unreadable for a moment. He stood up and held out his hand to her. “Dance with me,” he said, and she looked at him in surprise. 

“Here?”

“Why not? We have music, we have moonlight. What more do you need?” His eyes were alight with hope, his expression soft, and she couldn’t stop the smile that spread over her face. 

“Okay.” She took his hand and he pulled her into his arms, his hands fitting perfectly against the small of her back as they swayed gently together to the music. 

“Did you mean what you said, about Bellamy and Octavia becoming family?”

“Of course I did. Why?”

He gazed down at her. “You have such a big heart,” he said. “So much love to give to everybody.”

She wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck. “Hmmm. We’ll see how that works out when the three of them are under one roof.”

He chuckled softly. “It’ll be fine. And I’ll be there as much as I can.”

She tilted her head to the side. “I hope you’ll be there a lot,” she said meaningfully.

“Well, I’ll still need to go home, because all my stuff is there. Like my clean underpants, and razors.”

“How about you bring all your stuff to my house?”

He thought about it for a second. “Well, then I wouldn’t have anything left at my  house,” he objected with a small frown of confusion. 

She smiled, trying to work out if he was being deliberately obtuse. “Okay, how about you stop being a dork, and understand what I’m saying?” 

“You’re saying you want me to keep my underpants and razors at your house?” 

“Well,” she said, running her hand over his cheek which was now covered in a couple of days’ of soft growth. “You can leave the razors at your house. I like this a  _ lot.”  _ She grinned at the way he raised an eyebrow suggestively, then grew more serious. “But yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I want to fall asleep beside you every night, and I want to wake up beside you every morning. I don’t want to be across the other side of the city from you.”

“Hmmm. I’ll have to think about it,” he teased, using her own words against her, and she glared at him even as her smile widened uncontrollably. He chuckled softly at her indignant expression, and pulled her to him to kiss her.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” she said, and their lips met again in a long, slow kiss, a kiss that held the promise not only of nights and mornings together, but of days and weeks and months and years.

A promise of a life together.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the happy ending to timeline two, Kabby’s true backstory in These Times of Ours. There’s still an epilogue to come though. 
> 
> With regards to Becca’s surname, we only found out it was Franca in s6 so I will have to go back and change it in These Times of Ours.


End file.
